Recall, Reshape, Repeat
by Juri.DP
Summary: Did it bother him now as much as it did then? It was complicated.
1. Chapter 1

_**Recall, Reshape, Repeat**_

**On this day—the day of Juri's birthday—she presents a sequel. This is for those of you who sympathized with Naruto, wanted a continuation, or happened to stumble upon a mediocre fic. Read ****_The Folly of Flaunting _****only if you want to know exactly what happened before this.**

**And we shall mark this date: 06/09/14**

**Enjoy!**

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In the first year, he had hated Sasuke.

After hopeful searches ended in despair—after the blame stopped being thrown—after anger turned into self-loathing, Naruto realized this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Sasuke.

His life wouldn't have crumbled if it wasn't for _Sasuke_.

The rogue could have had _any_ girl he wanted, but he took the one person Naruto had cared for the most—the one person who had always loved him. The Uchiha didn't really have feelings for Hinata. Looking back on their past, Naruto was convinced Sasuke's dislike for him was far deeper and more sinister than he had thought.

Taking Hinata from him proved it.

In that year, Naruto waited.

He waited for Sasuke's cold nature to turn her away.

He waited for Hinata to come to her senses.

He waited for Hinata to come back to him.

.

.

.

.

In the second year, he wanted them both home.

Tsunade stopped issuing searches, but Kiba, Shino, and the Hyuuga clan continued to follow every lead and consider every course of action. Naruto also took part in these searches because he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand not knowing where they were. He couldn't stand not knowing whether or not they were okay. He couldn't stand the thought of them being dead somewhere with no one able to recover their bodies. No longer was he mad at Sasuke because he could handle that situation once the two were recovered.

In that year, Naruto searched.

He searched for his best friend and the girl he loved.

He searched for any signs that proved they were still alive.

He searched for whatever reason there was to just keep going.

.

.

.

.

In the third year, he had hated Hinata.

It dawned on him one morning after a night of dreamless slumber: She wasn't coming back.

Without a proper explanation, she left and didn't intend to return. She ran off with someone he considered his _best friend_.

Had he not proven himself to be a good boyfriend? Had he not focused his attention on her? Had he not made up for the years where he had no idea how she felt? And where did it all get him? It got him pitied stares around the village. It got him people who were constantly trying to heal a pain they unintentionally made worse. It got him hating the one person he thought he would always love.

Kiba, Shino, and Neji still searched—only because that's all they could do to prove to themselves their efforts were not completely wasted—but Naruto no longer took part.

In that year, Naruto thought.

He thought about all the times he and Hinata spent together, and he hated each and every one of them.

If he never saw her again, he would have been content.

.

.

.

.

In the fourth year, Naruto became numb.

No one spoke of the two who had disappeared anymore.

Searches had stopped all together.

There was only talk of Naruto's impending Hokage nomination in the next few years.

But Naruto hardly noticed.

He started taking on more missions; he was assigned positions some would have thought were not suited for him. Everyone saw a major improvement in not only his physical skills, but his mental and emotional ones as well. He no longer acted impulsively, and he was able to calculate a proper course of action almost as intricately as the other geniuses of the village.

But it was all calculated defensiveness.

He only worked hard because there was nothing else he trusted himself with doing. He spent time with his friends, but he didn't try to further their bonds. He worked until he was far beyond his limits, but he didn't care for the benefits. He did what he had to just so he wouldn't think too hard about any one thing.

In that year, Naruto gave up.

He gave up on pursuing his dreams.

He gave up on hoping for the best.

He gave up on everything, so he couldn't be hurt by anything.

.

.

.

.

In the fifth year, Naruto stopped lying to himself.

He was told he was the sole candidate for Hokage in the next year or two. At the time, the news hadn't meant much to him, but when he arrived home later that evening, he sat on his bed and let it sink in. There was a moment when he still felt nothing, but then...

_"If you're up for it, kid, you'll be sitting behind this desk as soon as everything is documented."_

Naruto Uzumaki: Hokage.

The blue-eyed ninja slowly came to life, his eyes widening, his heart pounding, his body trembling. He grinned, every part of him itching to jump around and do _something, __but h_e fell back on his bed, laughing manically for a few minutes until he settled into a content smirk.

He had finally done it.

But then...he couldn't stop thinking of her—of what she would have said or done. He wondered if she would hear the news wherever she was. He wondered if she would feel anything if she _did_ manage to hear it.

He wondered...if she thought about him at all.

It was then that the tears swelled, his eyes stung, and he let it all out.

* * *

_0-0-0-0-0_

* * *

"Furthermore, you'll be expected to _read_ over treaties, and beware of double entendre. Quite a few nations have butted heads over clever wording."

"Uh-huh."

"And in these cases, you must also be prepared to calmly, yet, swiftly resolve the matter by offering a more appropriate alternative. Even then, treaties will be negotiated, so don't expect it all to be settled in one session."

"Uh-huh."

"And be conscious of how many times you are called outside of Konoha; too many may hint at possible dangers aimed at either you or the village. It is important that you limit yourself to at least five a year when you first start: Four meetings with the remaining great nations, and one for one other well-ranked nation."

"Yeah. Uh-huh. Got it."

"Naruto."

"Uh-huh."

"...Naruto."

"Yeah. Got it."

Tsunade smiled irritably, a vein throbbing in her forehead, as she stared at the distant-eyed blond seated in front of her. "...You will also be required to wear a dress while reciting the village laws of whichever country's leader you decide to meet with within five minutes of the first forty-eight hours of said meeting."

"Uh-huh."

Her fist clenched, snapping her pencil in half. "NARUTO!"

The blond yelled, jerking backwards in his seat. "What?! What's going on?!" He looked around the room, eyes and mind vigilant for the first time since being here.

"Listen, runt, if I'm going to let you take my place, then you're going to put forth the effort in earning the title."

"Oh," he sighed, slouching in his chair. "I got it, I got it. If Gaara can do it, how hard can it be?"

"Is _this_ the attitude you're going to have? Look, Suna isn't as heavily targeted as us, not only because of its severely limited resources, but _because_ of its leader. Gaara isn't the type of man people want to cross, but a new Hokage in a village that reaps many benefits would draw all kinds of threats."

"And just like in the war, I'll take care of them."

"A _war_ is exactly the kind of thing we _don't_ want." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe a year is too soon for you. Maybe _two_ years is still too soon."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's fine. This information is just being drilled into me so often that it all mushes together after a while."

"You'll be in charge of everyone and everything inside the village. Skimming through the details is not something we can afford."

"I know, I got it." He sighed, standing. "Can we call it a day? I've been here since dawn."

Tsunade frowned, discreetly noticing the growing shadows surrounding her office. "Fine," the woman flicked her hand. "That'll be all for today. We'll pick this up in a few days, so read over the scrolls I've given you."

"Got it."

"And start thinking of who you'll want to be your advisor. The elders already have one on standby, but it'd be best if you had someone you already trust."

"I got it, I got it." He waved vaguely as he left. "See you soon, Grandma."

Tsunade twitched as the door closed. Even in his twenties, he didn't stop with the nicknames. "Ah, well," she sighed, reaching in her desk for her bottle of saké.

"Hard to believe it's almost that time."

The woman looked over, remembering Shizune was still in the room. "Yeah, I guess. He seems to have lost that ambition that was so admirable, though."

"He still might be grieving. Besides, at least he's willing."

"I suppose." Tsunade pulled out the bottle, eyeing it with an empathetic heart. "Maybe he needs more distractions."

* * *

Naruto walked the streets with his hands thrust in his pockets. He never got as tired as when he was forced to listen to a lot of tedious information. By now, they should know he was more of a hands on learner, so he couldn't really get the feel for things until he actually had a chance to _feel _it.

He yawned, making his way to his apartment. "Looks like another early night to bed."

He continued his journey when he started to approach Ichiraku. He contemplated the temptation for a moment before giving in.

"Hey!" Teuchi greeted. "If it isn't my number one customer!"

Naruto gave a tired smile. "Sup." He looked at the two occupants present, his eyes averting unconsciously. "Hey, guys."

"Naruto," Shino greeted, giving him a fleeting glance.

"Hey," Kiba said simply, glancing at him as well.

Naruto took a seat, and a thick silence settled. When he was served, the three sat in a solidifying silence—making sure to not look away from their meals.

"So..." Kiba said after a while, "heard about the whole Hokage thing."

"Ah... Yeah. Dream come true, right?"

"Congratulations," Kiba mumbled. "...Proud of you, man."

Naruto peeked at him, wondering if he was being sincere. He looked at Shino, who was avoiding his gaze just as much as Kiba. "How... It's been awhile."

Both dark-haired men looked at him.

Naruto gave a small smile. "So, how've ya been?"

o0o0o

Kiba and Shino waved as they departed from Naruto.

"He seems well," Shino commented.

Kiba sighed, pocketing his hands. "He has reason."

Shino looked at his friend's stern gaze. "Do you still blame him?"

"Nah..." He paused, shrugging after a moment. "Not anymore. It's just like looking in a mirror sometimes."

"Time," Shino assured.

"Yeah... Time."

* * *

Naruto returned home and promptly took a shower, only to collapse on his bed directly afterwards. He sighed, staring out his window.

"Whaddya think, Naruto?" he mumbled to himself, extending one hand towards the moon. "You're a big-shot now. You're gonna be _Hokage_ now. Everyone _respects_ you now. You're-"

_"–you're–"_

"-amazing."

_"-amazing."_

He became quiet, his hand slowly clenching the moon's image. Groaning, he rolled onto his side.

It must be time for bed.

* * *

o0o0o

Kiba's dazed eyes opened, his gaze already set outside his open window. He sniffed the air, every other of his senses still trapped in his unconscious state.

"Hey," he mumbled, his mind already drifting back into his deep slumber. "Where've...ya..."

* * *

The insects in Shino's body buzzed erratically. Exhausted, he lied in bed, waiting for his body to shutdown, but then the thousands of tiny occupants suddenly...simmered.

The young man opened his heavy lids, attentive to the change, and lowered them once more. The constant noise had been almost too much for him to bear, but now he was so relaxed—so at peace—that he could finally succumb to his unconsciousness. He hadn't been this at ease since...

* * *

**Nck. Nck.**

"Mm...mm..."

**Nck. Nck.**

"Mrgh...ngh..."

**NCK.**

"Mmma... Ah." Naruto opened his eyes, blinking slowly in the dark, and pulled himself up, rubbing his head in the process. He looked out the window with dead eyes. He had dreamt of knocking, and now he was so attached to the false notion that he couldn't rationalize it wasn't real. "Mysterious ramen," he muttered, turning towards the door, "doesn't shine as bright..."

_Rttl_

"Eh?" Naruto rubbed his eyes, as if it would help his hearing.

_Rttlll_

The door... His door... Someone...was trying to get into his apartment.

_Rttlllllll_

He got out of bed, advancing on the door silently. He placed his hand on the knob, firmly gripping as he twisted the lock, and flung it open.

No one was there.

He blinked, scrunching a brow. Cautiously, he poked his head out the door and looked up and down the hall.

_Klnk_

He whipped around, staring at his window. He strained his eyes, looking at the lock. It had come undone. He frowned, highly alert and confused, and proceeded to close his door.

"Naruto."

His eyes shot back to the owner of the low, calm, whispered voice. Slender fingers hooked around the door's edge, stopping it from closing, and gently pushed it back open.

Long black hair fell past a slim waist.

Pale skin contrasted greatly with dark attire.

A lean, curvaceous body defined by petite muscles stood opposite him.

Underneath uneven bangs were a pair of white eyes.

His mouth parted, eyebrows rising. "...H..Hi...?"

The woman stared back at him, her gaze seeming to penetrate right through his rampant thoughts.

"This is... What is...?" He reached out, taking her face in his hands. "Am I... Are you...?"

She placed a cool, pale hand on his wrist. "I am."

His eyes widened.

"Stay ca-"

He pulled her forward, his arms wrapping around her upper body.

This wasn't an illusion?

He could feel this woman in his arms—her soft body meshed against his—his calloused fingers burning above smooth skin. He could smell the latent but all too familiar aroma of fresh berries and a crisp breeze—a scent that was engraved into his memory.

_Her_ scent.

His breathing became erratic as every movement sobered him up—as her presence remained in his arms.

He pulled her inside, closing the door, flicking the lights on, and held her at arms length, inspecting her. Now that there was more light, he saw that her hair was a darker shade of purple. She wore a black turtle neck shirt with the sleeves appeared to have been torn off, along with fitting black pants and her usual sandals.

Hinata...

His girlfriend, Hinata.

He swallowed thickly, blinking just so the fog in his mind would lift faster. She looked like Hinata, but she didn't feel like Hinata. Her presence had an impact—it was bold. She stood straighter, her head evenly held, and nothing about her was...hesitant.

His heart pounded—his body becoming agitated and itchy.

"Stay calm," she said softly. "I-"

"D-do you want some tea?"

She blinked, taken aback. "Tea?"

"I'll go make some t-t-t-t-tea."

Naruto was out of the room before he could properly finish his sentence.

He fumbled to his kitchen, and his hands began their shaky search for a few items that could make a decent tea set.

"No," he whispered to himself, eyes wide and painfully dry. "Teapot... Where is it?"

After he placed the pot on the stove, he panicked, trying to figure out if he had any decent tea leaves. He rummaged through cabinets, knocking things over and nearly flinging spices and seasonings across the room.

"C'mon, c'mon," he mumbled, both enraged and frantic. He had to have tea leaves. Fresh tea was her favorite. She-

He stopped, staring at his barren cabinet and then the assorted items on the floor. His heart hadn't stopped pounding, and he now realized his breathing had became ragged, making him almost light-headed.

Naruto looked towards the door.

Instantly, his head began to pound, and he was overcome with a dizzying bout of nausea. He slumped against the counter, running a hand through his hair. "Hinata..." he whispered, voice trembling.

o0o0o

Naruto's legs and hands refused to steady themselves as he walked back into his room with the tray of tea. He had managed to find a decent set, and, for good measure, he placed a few cookies on a plate; he had almost had a disastrous breakdown at the pathetic offering he was about to make. The stale treats were the very last things he wanted to present to her, but he needed something that could pass off as being formal.

He fumbled with the door to his room, and, when he opened it, Hinata was leaned against the front door, staring down at her feet with her hands clasped behind her back.

She looked up at him as he entered.

He broke out into a nervous sweat and averted his gaze. Looking around the floor, he was mortified to see he hadn't pulled out the table yet. "Shit," he muttered, his shaking becoming worse. He glanced at Hinata self-consciously and found that she was looking at him curiously—almost worried. "Um... Uh..." He looked at the tray in his hands.

"Oh."

His head snapped back in her direction, but he found she was already walking past him, kneeling in front of the bed to pull out the table. She placed it in the center of the floor and looked up at him.

"Y-yeah," he laughed, breathless. "That's, um, that's...what I..." He swallowed hard, unable to say anything more. The more her image burned into his mind, the more real this became—the more his nerves acted up.

Hinata looked away, awkward, when he made no further movement. She stood, walking towards him. "I'll help you."

His eyes widened, and, when her hands brushed his as she began to take hold of the tray, his body spasmed, the tray flying from his hands and falling all over Hinata. She flinched, the plates and burning liquid stinging.

"Fuck!" he cursed, quickly covering his mouth. "I'm sorry!" He made to help her in some way, but he pulled his hands away, not knowing what to do. "I just-! I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"It's okay." She extended her shirt to see the damage but otherwise showed no signs of being bothered. She looked at him again. "Naru-"

"I'm sorry!" He looked away, his hands coming up as if to stop her of something. His cheeks burned, and he hoped—would give half his _life—_if it was just a sensation under the skin and not something she could see. "I-I can make more tea. Or- no. A shirt. Clothes. You need to change, right? I can-"

She grabbed his hands, and Naruto stopped everything. He stared down at her calm, even expression, and he crumbled under those eyes. The wall he had built—all it had took to keep his emotions in check—vanished now that he could see her before him.

"Listen, okay?" She talked soothingly, gently guiding him to his bed and helping him sit. She squeezed his hands to regain his attention. "Where is Sakura?"

"Sa...Sakura?" He blinked, feeling delirious. "Haruno?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Is she on a mission?"

"I... Yeah...she is..."

"Okay. Do you know when she'll be back?"

"T...tomorrow. Maybe...noon."

Hinata looked to the side, frowning. "Alright," she mumbled, pulling away.

"Wait." Naruto's hold on her hand tightened. She turned back, a slight sense of urgency in her eyes, but he found he could only stare.

Five years...

All the things he thought he would say—things he wanted to know and things he wanted _her_ to know—were lost to him now. She looked...good. Really good. This altered appearance was foreign to her nature, but it was typical of someone else; he couldn't force his mind to recall who it might be.

This was too much for him. The back of his mind was yelling at him to pull himself together. He never imagined he'd act like this if he saw her again.

If he ever saw her, he had to be calm and unaffected.

If he ever saw her, she had to see that he had been doing just fine on his own.

If he ever saw her, he had to be cool because...being who he normally was made her run off with someone else.

Maybe she was supposed to be the one who tried to gather her composure, but...he never expected to actually see her again.

Hinata's hand slipped out of his; his fingers clenched, instinctively reaching after her, demanding her touch.

"I have to go," she said,walking towards the door.

"Hinata!" He stood, his voice suddenly coming back to him. "You... You don't have to- Uh, I mean... You're here, and now-"

"I was looking for Sakura, but, since she's not here, I have to go."

He shook his head. "But...you could...stay for a while." He looked at the mess on the floor. "I can clean this up. Um...if I clean this up, I can make more tea, and... I could... Or maybe you want to get home, so-"

"I haven't returned to the village."

Naruto's heart and stomach sank. How was she able to do this to him—to make him cringe at words that weren't meant to harm him? How, after all these years, had she managed to gain that much power over him?

She opened the door.

"Please don't go."

Hinata froze, doubting she had heard him.

"Hinata..." Naruto's voice cracked, his heart clenching unbearably tight, "don't leave me again."

She turned around. His face was red and full of so much sorrow, and, though his eyes were filling with tears, he was looking at her with so much emotion—emotion that shouldn't have been there.

She blinked repeatedly, looking away from him.

"Hinata-"

"Do you have pain killers?"

His breath caught. "P...pain killers?"

"Y-"

"Are you hurt?!"

Hinata looked up just as Naruto took hold of her, his eyes taken over with fear as he looked for the source of her pain.

"Where does it hurt?! How bad is it? Do you-!" He pulled away, shaking his hands. "Crap... It's not your arms, is it? I didn't mean to grip...so...so..."

She was staring at him.

No longer was she hard to read, but her face had softened considerably, her eyes wide with wonder.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then she giggled. Naruto's heart fluttered at the sound, but he felt cripplingly self-conscious.

"Forgive me," she said as she calmed down. "I'm fine, but do you have any on you?"

"I..." He gestured behind him, walking backwards. "Yeah... Yeah, I do." He went to the bathroom and returned with a small white bottle.

"Thank you." She smiled, taking it from him.

She was smiling now...

_Smiling._

"Uh, is there anything else you need?"

She shook her head, backing towards the door. She flashed him another smile, holding the bottle to her chest. "Goodbye."

"Are you sure?!" he blurted as she turned. "If there's anything at all, then I can get it for you."

Hinata paused, turning to him with a dampened mood. "Bring Sakura here tomorrow night."

"Sakura?"

"If you bring Sakura here, I'll come back."

He watched her go, but, after she was gone, he wished he knew for sure if she had been there at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Forcing out chapters because I love you guys.**

**Enjoy!**

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There was no sleeping last night.

To keep the memory firmly locked in his mind, he refused to fall back asleep. He refused to pick up the condiments and spices on his kitchen floor. He refused to clean up the shattered glass in his bedroom.

He refused to accept last night didn't happen.

He _saw_ her.

He _talked_ to her.

He _felt_ her.

She couldn't have been a figment of his imagination because he had almost completely come to terms with her being gone. He wasn't as in denial or torn up about it like he had been years ago, so there was no need for his mind to torture him in such a way.

His mind also never altered her image.

The Hinata he had always kept in his memories was a hesitant, predictable young girl with dark purple hair. The Hinata from last night...was significantly different. Her physical appearance was virtually the same, but _she_ was...stronger. She was confident and didn't hesitate in what she had come for. The Hinata from last night...wasn't the Hinata from years ago.

If she was, she would have come to see him and no one else.

She would have stayed and...and...

He groaned. Rolling to sit on the edge of the bed, he let his head hang, staring at the mess on his floor. "It was real," he declared, voice hoarse and ragged.

He pulled himself through his daily routine—feeling as though he were wandering aimlessly—and left his apartment.

* * *

Sakura could see Konoha's gates come into view, so she slowed her pace and settled with walking the rest of the way. Usually, she wasn't one to reflect on how much things have changed—she was too busy—but, today, at least until she reported to Tsunade, she had some time to think of something other than work. She wished she could pick a topic her emotions could agree on, but it wasn't something she typically entertained either.

Life was not as she saw it eight years ago.

She expected to always be bound to her team, but now she was going on missions by herself, even though she knew she wasn't supposed to. Over the years, she had come to crave her personal space, and she found it a hassle to be around others.

She wanted her independence.

This new revelation may have been the exact reason why she moved out right before her eighteenth birthday.

Besides, she came to understand that her teammates hadn't exactly lived up to the fantasy versions she had of them when life went back to normal. There was supposed to be a tighter bond formed. They were supposed to be damn near inseparable! Being alone used to be odd, but with Naruto being too wrapped up in his secret relationship, and Sasuke having an even lessened desire to be around anyone, it was the only constant. She had almost loathed Naruto for getting into a relationship because he was the one who could have made her desired world happen. Sasuke could only be swayed by him because the Uchiha still saw her as a hopeless, love-struck girl. It had actually annoyed her to some degree.

But, she supposed, Naruto dating was...good for him. He deserved it.

He deserved _her_.

He deserved to be happy and annoyingly upbeat.

But then...Sasuke left again.

With...Hinata.

Even when the running assumption was that he had kidnapped her, it never settled with Sakura. Sasuke had no reason to kidnap Hinata, and Hinata would not have had the chance to be kidnapped. She was always with Naruto, so Sakura wondered if something else had happened. She had noticed very small things that now seemed painfully obvious, like Sasuke's awareness of the Hyuuga. He had merely been questionable of who she was because he hadn't recognized her right away, but that was normal.

Later, she also noticed how uncomfortable Hinata became in group settings and how distant she was becoming with Naruto. There was nothing she could link it to at the time.

Sasuke's awareness...

Hinata's distance...

And then they were gone.

It was a stretch to think they ran off together, but it was the only thing that made the most sense; however, Naruto never said anything that could have implied it. It's possible he didn't know about the two, if there was anything to know, and his depression could have been taken any way.

Still...

Sasuke and Hinata...

Hinata and Sasuke...

She sighed. There was no way for her to ever know for sure.

o0o0o

After Sakura checked in with Tsunade, she went to her apartment. She let herself in and was greeted by an unusually pleasant scent of food cooking. Removing her shoes, she frowned, walking into the kitchen. Busying himself with the stove, a young man with short brown hair that reached the nape of his neck was humming off-tune as he joyfully prepared food.

Sakura sighed, slumping against the door frame. "Keita."

The man jumped, nearly tipping a pan over, and turned to her with wide brown eyes. "S-Sakura. You're back already?"

"Mhm." She nodded at the clock on the stove. "I'm actually a little late."

"...You want to come back in another hour?"

She raised a brow. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her then the food, distressed. "No, no, no." He waved his spatula clenched hand. "I had this all planned out. Just... Just walk out and walk back in real quick."

She eyed him blandly.

"...Please?"

She sighed, suppressing a smile, and rolled out of the room. She waited ten seconds before entering once again.

"Hm?" Keita looked up from the stove nonchalantly. "Oh, Sakura." He turned, smiling coolly, picking up a plate with a single fried fish on it. "Welcome home. Are you hungry?"

Sakura closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, before erupting into laughter. Despite her humor, she had actually been rendered flustered.

Again.

Keita frowned, a shade shy of pouting. "Come on, I worked hard at this."

"I know," she said, wiping her eyes. "That's why I'm laughing."

"You don't like it?"

"No, no," she shook her head, walking over and wrapping her arms around him. "I love it. It's just... I still get worried when you use the stove."

He rolled his eyes, setting the plate down, and wrapped his arms around her as well. "I'm no ninja, so I might as well master all there is to do around a house."

They smiled at each other, leaning, and shared a chaste kiss.

Sakura grinned. "You're such a good girlfriend."

He laughed humorlessly, looking to the side. "Thanks, Sakura, that hits right in the ego."

She laughed, peeking behind him to look at what he was cooking. "This seems like a lot for just the two of us."

"Right..." He cleared his throat, looking somewhere over her head. "Naruto's...here."

Sakura pulled away, staring at him. "What?"

"Yeah..." He smiled helplessly, shrugging. "It might be important."

She groaned, resting her head on his shoulder. "How long?"

"Ooo... Since about seven this morning."

"Oh, gosh."

She left the kitchen and walked up the hall to the living room. There, she found one Naruto Uzumaki sprawled on her sofa, staring at her television mindlessly. He looked up when she entered, offering a lazy smile.

"Hey, Sakura," he greeted, voice thick with grogginess.

She crossed her arms, frowning inquisitively. "You only visit when you need something." She paused, looking him over. "What's up with you?"

He looked at the ceiling, then the television. "I'm not crazy, okay?"

o0o0o

"Thanks for lunch." Sakura stood on her toes, pecking her boyfriend on the lips.

Keita blushed but kept his face unreadable. "Yeah, anytime. Hurry back."

She waved, ushering Naruto out of the apartment with her. Once they had ventured on the main road, she looked at her vacant teammate. She frowned, running a hand through her hair. A depressed Naruto was still something she didn't know how to deal with.

"I..." Naruto started, frustrated with his exhaustion and lack of words. "I saw...Hinata last night..."

Sakura's heart constricted. "I didn't know you were having dreams again."

He sighed harshly, ruffling his hair. "No, no." He turned to her. "She was... She came to see me. _Me_. She came to my apartment-"

"Naruto..."

"-and...and I hugged her. I could _feel_ her, but I messed it up-"

"Naruto, please..."

"-but she says she'll come again tonight if-"

"Naruto!" Sakura placed her hands on his shoulders, gaining his attention. "You have to stop."

"I know how it sounds, but I swear she came to my apartment last night-"

"That's not possible."

"I know, but I have proof! I spilled tea on her, and it's still on the floor-"

"So you spilled something. It happens."

"No, it was on _her_. She came to me-"

"Hinata is _gone_."

Naruto flinched, averting his eyes. Sakura was filled with regret; she could see the pain coming back. His face was beginning to redden as he pushed down the anguish trying to surface. His eyes squinted, forcing back any tears.

"I swear it was her," he whispered, voice hoarse. "Come to my apartment tonight and I can prove it." He looked at her, pleading. "I really need you to be there tonight."

* * *

Sakura sat on Naruto's bed, deeply troubled.

When he showed up at her apartment, she was a bit hopeful he was returning to his old self. When he brought up Hinata, she was sure he was having a relapse—one making him distort reality in an attempt to alter his memories. Then he told her he needed her at his apartment, and part of her thought he was trying to channel his loss into yearning for her. She honestly didn't know why she came here if that had been the case—rejecting him may have pushed him over whatever edge he was on.

But that wasn't case.

She wished it was instead of...this.

Looking around the room, Sakura felt highly uneasy, and she wanted to cry for Naruto's sake. When Hinata left, anyone would have sworn she took all his ambitions and desires with her. Even after his calloused comeback, he was lacking greatly, but...his room was unusually clean.

She watched him _clean it._

There was nothing out of place, and it just did not seem like Naruto's apartment. She knew he had kept a picture of the missing kunoichi somewhere close by, but she didn't see it now. She wondered if that had anything to do with what his mind convinced him he would see tonight.

Naruto walked back in the room, eyes darting around frantically.

Sakura watched him. "You need to sleep."

"I can't," he responded immediately. "I might miss her if I..." He huffed, thrusting a hand in his hair. "Do you think this is okay?" He looked around the room, unsatisfied. "It's so... So..."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak.

"My hair's greasy," he said suddenly, eyes widening. "Shit!" He spun around, exiting the room while cursing himself repeatedly.

Sakura stared after him.

o0o0o

After a shower that produced enough steam to drift into the bedroom—after an emergency run to the store for tea leaves and cinnamon rolls—after the room had been rearranged over and over, Naruto sat on the floor in front of the table, staring at it.

Sakura now realized she never witnessed what the years had done to him. She saw him in passing or when he stopped by to ask a favor, but they never held a full conversation like they use to. While she was making a better life for herself, Naruto had been steadily descending into...this. When Sasuke left the first time, he never got this down. Sure, Sasuke also wasn't gone for five years, but this was still...odd.

Both Sasuke and Hinata left, but Naruto was only focused on the latter.

She wanted to say it was because he had invested his time and emotions into her, but he had known Sasuke longer. He had formed bonds with him and known him the best. With Hinata, he was practically oblivious to her existence for the first fifteen to sixteen years of their lives. He was aware of her, but they had really started to bond when they were dating, and that could have been for more than five months. Maybe Naruto was capable of feeling faster than most people, but it should not have been possible that he was this hung up on her. Sakura thought it would make more sense if he had gotten depressed when _she_ started dating Keita, but he hadn't even batted an eye at it. She didn't want him to be envious, but it made _sense_.

What was it about Hinata? What made him fall so fast and so hard?

Sakura looked back at the window. It had to be close to midnight—if not already—and she didn't think it was best to egg on his false sense of reality. "Alright," she sighed, standing up. "We should call it a night."

Naruto looked at her—she couldn't read his expression. "But she's coming."

"No, Naruto, she's not. Hinata's been gone for a while now, and we... You really need to accept that."

* * *

He didn't say anything. He couldn't even look at her. Maybe it wouldn't have made sense if he explained that he _had_ accepted it. No matter how much he wanted her back, he had accepted she was gone. He didn't want to accept he still had strong feelings for her, but he was sane enough to understand the situation.

But he couldn't even explain why he was like this.

Had he always liked her? No, he knew that wasn't true. Did he feel like he owed his all to her after she had almost died for him? No, because she had found someone worth leaving him for. Were his feelings frozen in the past because her departure had come out of nowhere? He wasn't sure, but that couldn't be it.

There was just something about her.

He's had a lot of time to rationalize that eight months worth of dating did not justify five years worth of pining, but he had been so sure Hinata was the one. When they were together, he just _knew_ she would be by his side thirty—forty—fifty years from now. Maybe all he needed was closure... But if she wanted to come back-

There was clanging from the kitchen.

Both ninjas looked in the direction of the door, but Naruto had jumped to his feet the very next second. He ran towards the kitchen only to discover the unbalanced clutter of dishes in the sink had fallen out of place.

That was all.

He laughed, forcing a hand through his hair, and ignored how hard his chest was tightening. It was hard to brush it off now—he had Hinata to thank for that. Shaking his head, he walked back into the room. Sakura was standing in front of the door leading out the apartment. It was open, and she looked...

"Sakura?" Naruto took a step closer but noticed her hand was extended out the door, her eyes wide.

She looked his way, unblinking and confused.

His brows furrowed, looking back at her hand...which was attached to a pale one. A head full of dark hair peeked inside, white eyes looking in like it was the most natural thing to do.

"Thank you, Naruto."

* * *

Sakura was still in a state of disbelief.

Was it possible she was becoming as delusional as Naruto?

Was it possible his heartbreak and yearning had turned into some kind of contagious disease? If a side-effect was seeing a Hinata that didn't _feel_ like Hinata, then she didn't know what medical treatment she needed.

The pinkette looked down as she was led swiftly over rooftops. This woman was holding her hand firmly, her movements urgent. She looked at the flowing dark hair that occasionally tickled her own face, but she couldn't sober up her shock.

"Hinata?" she whispered.

The woman looked back at her. She had Hinata's Hyuuga eyes, but she didn't have Hinata's innocent, child-like face. She appeared...wise and experienced. Almost...inhumanly beautiful.

"Sakura," she replied, smiling faintly as she turned back to their path. "It's different to see you look so..." She giggled. "Like me."

"Where have you been? Or... Why are you back? Why do you-?" She was given a gentle squeeze to her hand.

"Not now," Hinata said softly. "It wouldn't be...appropriate."

Sakura almost became livid with the denial, but she looked behind her; Naruto was following a few paces back. She had never seen him so...awestruck as she had tonight. Hinata had turned out the door before he could get a word out, and Sakura had no idea when he actually began to follow them.

Did Hinata know what she was doing to him? Did she know what she had put him through? She should say something to him...

But then what?

What did this mean for the two of them?

o0o0o

Hinata led them outside the gates to a cave partially concealed by moss, vines, and fallen branches. She released Sakura's hand and maneuvered her way over the too soft grass and the hidden objects that lay beneath. Sakura followed her into the darkened cave, her steps becoming uncertain as her sight failed her.

"Sorry," she heard Hinata say. "Hold on a moment." There was mumbling and faint grunts. She heard a sigh and then saw sparks.

Once.

Twice.

There was a frustrated laugh. "I relied on you too much," Hinata muttered, seemingly to herself.

The sparks came again; a speck of fire resulted, followed by a few more. It took a while before a decent flame was made. Hinata sat cross-legged, sighing. She looked at Sakura, then to her left, then back to her. "I need your help."

Sakura nodded loosely, not really knowing why. "Wha... Hold on." She shook her head, raising her hands half-way. "I need explanations here."

"I understand, but-"

"_No_, Hinata, I can't just..." This atmosphere wasn't helping her think. The light source was dim, the cave was smothering, the air was warm, and she wasn't convinced whether or not this was a dream. "What's going on?! You were gone for five years, and now you drag me here-" She screeched, her hands shooting to the side of her head. "What am I even doing here?!"

"I need your help," Hinata said again.

"I _get_ that. I _heard_ that, but..." Her mouth opened and closed, hands moving as though they would help her speak. "_What_ exactly could you possibly need from me?"

"You're the best medical nin I know."

Sakura fell silent. This Hinata was so...so...nonchalant? She didn't make sense? She was being too casual?

"Does something hurt?"

She turned, seeing Naruto standing off to the side. He was avoiding looking their way, but his tone was laden with concern and...nervousness? It was a form of unease, but he was acting like he didn't want to be close to them, which was a huge turn around from not so long ago.

"Not me," Hinata answered, earning the kunoichi's attention again. She looked down, placing her hand on a formation Sakura hadn't noticed. "But something on him does."

Sakura walked closer and knelt next to the suddenly saddened woman. She leaned forward, her green eyes straining to see properly. "Sasuke?" she said aloud, her surprise making her sound frank. "That's..." His eyes were closed, his face bright with seat, his breathing deep and hollow. She looked at Hinata. "What happened to him?"

Hinata kept her eyes on him, smiling woefully. "We did something stupid."


	3. Chapter 3

**Keita has a back story. It's floating around my blog somewhere.**

**Enjoy!**

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Naruto rolled around uncomfortably. His back hurt, and his head was throbbing. He opened his eyes, blinking at the thin rays of the morning sun from a cave's opening. He rolled onto his side and pushed himself up, groaning at the rock hard ground. Standing, he stretched but found no relief to the aching in his body.

He knew where he was and vaguely remembered why, but, at this moment, he felt no particular way about it. He turned, looking into the cave, where he could make out the figures he knew to be Sasuke and Hinata. They were sleeping—passed out in Sasuke's case—and they were huddled close together.

_Hinata _was huddled close to Sasuke...

Did it bother him now as much as it did then?

It was complicated.

He missed Hinata, but not this one. He didn't _know_ this Hinata who would leave him and show up after five years and act like they hadn't had a life together—like they hadn't loved each other. He resented and cherished the Hinata of years ago, but this one... The only emotion he could link with this one was confusion and possibly apprehension.

But she _was_ his Hinata, and the fact that he couldn't feel it bothered him.

Sasuke changed her.

Naruto scowled, walking out the cave, and allowed the morning air to calm him.

Sakura had stayed long enough to assess Sasuke's injuries. He was sure he fell asleep before she had finished listing off all his ailments, but the Uchiha sustained a broken leg, five broken ribs, various ruptured blood vessels, and either one or three of his internal organs were bleeding. He didn't know if she had tended to any of these last night, and the blond was slightly surprised he did not have much sympathy for his former teammate. He knew he held a great deal of resentment for him, but he never once fooled himself into thinking he wouldn't always care.

But he felt close to nothing.

Maybe Karma had waited until Sasuke was near him to act.

He smiled bitterly. Even if no one knew he took pleasure in this, he didn't want to feel this way.

"Naruto."

He looked forward, seeing Sakura maneuvering her way towards him. "Hey- Uh. Mornin'."

She looked at him quizzically until she reached him. "Did you sleep here?"

"Yeah... I guess I did."

Sakura frowned, wondering if she should say anything. He had assured her he'd make it home last night, but she had to admit he didn't look fully conscious when he said it. She was eager to get back home and make sense of things, so maybe that was a blunder on her part. "Okay... Well, go home. I got it from here." Sakura walked past him, but, when she didn't feel him walking away himself, she turned back. "Don't you need to see Tsunade today?"

"...Not until tomorrow."

"Then don't you want to sleep in your bed? It's still pretty early." She waited for him to come up with an excuse. He seemed troubled, more with himself than her trying to shoo him away. If he needed her to come out and say it just to help his mind come to terms with leaving, she'd say it, but she just didn't want to. Things were...very sensitive now.

"Alright," he said, jumping into the trees.

Sakura waited until he left, his presence slowly tapering off. She entered the cave and walked over to the sleeping pair, kneeling in front of them. Hinata was clinging to the front of Sasuke's shirt in her sleep. Sakura frowned.

This was too weird.

She's only ever known Hinata to have feelings for Naruto, but she was easily sleeping next to Sasuke. She looked so peaceful next to _Sasuke_. It wasn't... She supposed she didn't have to approve, but this wasn't something she could easily accept. She didn't _need _explanations, but that was the only way she would stop thinking this was the cruelest thing she's seen.

She sighed, shaking the former heiress. "Hinata. I'm going to need some space."

She waited, but the dark-haired woman continued to sleep.

"Hinata," she pushed the heiress' bangs back, strumming her fingers on her forehead. "Hinata, time to get up."

The Hyuuga moved, eyes fluttering open, and rolled over onto Sakura's lap. The pinkette went rigid, slightly embarrassed. She tried gently pulling the woman off of her, then sliding from under her, but it made no difference.

Sakura sighed, placing her hands over the unconscious man. "You've changed her, huh?"

* * *

_He never thought it would be...awkward._

_Having a girlfriend was awkward._

_Or maybe...Hinata was just awkward._

_He looked over at the heiress, who was sitting a good distance from him. They were seated in a forest as to not be seen by anyone, and, well, he wondered if he could really call this dating. It's been two weeks of meeting in secret. Two weeks of uncomfortable shifting. Two weeks of not really saying anything to each other._

_Two weeks of...sitting in forests._

_But, he's the one who asked her, so maybe he should have started slower. Maybe he shouldn't have rushed right into a relationship simply because there was a time of true peace. Could he break up with her just so they could have a proper friend stage? Did people do things like that?_

_"Hinata," and she jumped, offering a shaky reply, "this is... Well, are you happy with this? Being with me, I mean?"_

_She reddened completely, nodding her head._

_"Yeah... I mean, _**this**_ is okay?" He laughed, not really sure why. "I think we talked more before I ever knew you liked me. Heck, we talked more during the war."_

_"O-oh... Is this not good?"_

_He scratched his cheek, wondering how it had turned to his problem. "I was just hoping to get to know you better."_

_She looked away, confused. "I... I like to press flowers."_

_"Press flowers?"_

_"Y-yes. It's a way to preserve them... When I was young, Kō, um, showed me this book filled with pressed flowers that belonged to my mother. I guess I started around...that time."_

_He nodded. "Who's Kō?"_

_Hinata looked at him. "He watched over me as a child. He's like... He was there for me when no one else was."_

_"Ah." He grinned. "Like Iruka."_

_"Um..."_

_"To me, I mean."_

_Her eyes lit with understanding. "Oh. Yes, like that."_

_"Looks like we've got something in common then."_

_She smiled, averting her gaze._

_He huffed, getting to his feet. "What else?"_

_She watched him from the corner of her eye, tensing as he walked closer to her. "Wh-what else?"_

_"Yeah." He sat next to her, giving his full attention. "I wanna know more about you."_

_(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)_

Naruto opened his eyes. He felt refreshed now that he had slept in his own bed, not really sure when he arrived home.

That is, his body felt refreshed.

He rolled onto his back, stretching, and took in the afternoon rays filling his room.

It didn't hurt right now.

Realizing the Hinata he knew was gone... It didn't hurt. He wondered if seeing her had been the closure he needed. Well, that wasn't exactly right. If she had been unable to look at him and virtually scared of his presence, then maybe he would be hurting right now. It would have meant she still loved him.

But she didn't love him.

And oddly...that didn't hurt either.

Naruto pulled himself out of bed and got ready for the day. He opted out of wearing his jacket and left his apartment with the intentions of going to the cave. Sasuke's injuries were pretty serious, so...

Sasuke...

That was the complicated part. _Sasuke_ still riled his emotions into unsavory chaos, but he would like to think it was more logical than he was making it out to be. Naruto invested a lot of bonding and reliance on both dark-haired adults, but _Sasuke_ was like family. Naruto had done nothing but look for the best interests of the Uchiha, and he just...

Sasuke just didn't care.

He hadn't even given Naruto the courtesy of warning him or plainly saying he wanted Hinata. He had to have known she was taken—because apparently the only person Hinata and Naruto fooled was her father—yet, he still pursued her. Naruto knew his anger should go both ways, but it didn't.

He wasn't sure why.

Naruto exited the village, throwing forms of greeting to the ninjas standing watch. Usually, everyone coming and going would get stopped, but the blond had special privileges now—being future Hokage and all—saving everyone and all.

He strolled through the forest, wondering a few times if he was lost. When he approached familiar ground, he saw Hinata outside, stretching. He stopped walking, unseen by her, and waited.

Maybe it would hurt now, seeing her now that he was rested...

...but it still didn't.

He tilted his head, watching her bask in the few rays of sunlight, until she sat down against a tree, facing his direction.

"Let's talk," she said.

He didn't move, unsure.

"Naruto," she called softly.

That shocked him.

He walked over to her, neither of them looking at each other, and took a spot in front of her. "You saw me?"

She shook her head. "You and... You have a very familiar aura."

"Huh."

Silence settled. It wasn't awkward, but it felt like it should have been. Instead, it was very...thick.

"I was shocked," he said. "Seeing you again just... I wasn't expecting it."

She nodded, staring at her hands. "I don't know where to start, to be honest."

He didn't know if he wanted this talk anymore. All the answers were obvious. She didn't have to go into detail about what she did, why she did it, and _who_ she did it with because...it was obvious. She didn't need to say anything.

He understood.

"Sasuke and I-"

"I'm over it."

She looked at him, slightly surprised. "You are?"

"Yeah... Yeah, like I said, I was just shocked, so that's why I acted..." he huffed, frowning, "pretty stupid."

Hinata stared at him, not sure how to feel. She was a bit relieved she didn't have to give a proper explanation as to why she left; he didn't want to know, it seemed. She was also afraid to admit everything, especially when so much time had passed, but...maybe she was accepting this too easily. He was so..._not_ over it when she saw him the other night, but now he was contradicting that; he wasn't falling apart _now_. In fact, he was looking right at her without any trouble, so maybe things were...okay.

Just like that?

Naruto waited for her to come out of her thoughts. She was able to look directly at him while thinking so intently, and he had to say he was impressed. There was never a point in their relationship when she looked at him without some blush, some longing, some reserved passion. It had all been such an ego booster then, but, if he dwelled on it, he would have enjoyed this, too. He didn't need to be seen as some great or surreal hero _all_ the time. He was Naruto—that guy who stuck out from his hair to his eyes to that boisterous attitude. He was just another shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and, as eccentric as he may be, he was just one of many.

Nothing particularly special.

Just Naruto.

"Okay."

He blinked, catching Hinata standing. "What?"

"I understand." She looked at him a moment longer, one last evaluation, before smiling. "And I'm glad you're alright."

He smiled, unaware he was doing so. "Thanks."

She nodded, walking away. "Sakura's still inside."

He stood and watched the former heiress walk into the forest. "Where are you going?" he called.

"Gathering," she responded.

He stared after her, hands in his pockets. When she disappeared from sight, he raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head, and walked into the cave.

The fire was lit, and he could make out Sakura's form next to the unconscious man, her green chakra glowing. He didn't say a word as he walked over to her because, judging by her rigid posture and creased brow, this took a great deal of concentration. Either that or that task deeply troubled her.

He sat next to her, staring down at the Uchiha.

"This isn't good, you know," she mentioned, voice low.

"Will he make it?"

"Yeah. Maybe." She huffed, and Naruto noticed sweat forming on her face. "I have _no_ idea what they were doing, but this is thorough work. I had to re-break some bones, drain some bruises... And he's the only one who's hurt. It's _crazy_."

Naruto nodded, staring at the male. "Like some form of divine punishment, huh?"

Sakura jolted, her chakra almost stopping. "What?"

He looked at her. "What?"

"What did you just say?"

Naruto frowned, highly confused. "I didn't say anything."

Sakura didn't push the topic, though that comment bothered her. She would like to believe the strain of healing was messing with her hearing. She would like to think her current situation in general was messing with her in a lot of ways. Here she was, reunited with her team _again_, and she didn't feel any of the joy or comfort that used to come with being one. Sasuke was a rogue again, Naruto was on his way of attaining his dream, and she was a top medical nin who didn't want or need recognition.

They were mix-matched now.

And then there was _Hinata_, who was with Sasuke...

...when she had been with Naruto.

It was very uncomfortable.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked; the silence was agonizing.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't really have anything going on."

"You could check in with Tsunade."

"You're kiddin', right?" he laughed. "I wouldn't be able to focus. At least not today."

"Like focusing was ever your strong suit."

Naruto grinned to himself. "What can I say?"

Sakura bit her lip. She hoped Naruto would talk a lot more, if not the whole time. "...How are you?"

He sighed slowly, shoulders slumping. "I'm okay...but I think that's my problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to her before coming in here...and... I dunno, I feel fine. I just... I'm okay."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

He shrugged, frowning hard. "All I did was sleep well after seeing her, and I'm fine. I mean... That's all it took for it to stop?"

"Well, did you talk about...the two of you?"

"Heh, yeah right. There's nothing she could say that I don't already know."

"Maybe not, but you should hear her say it."

"Why? There's nothing to talk about."

"Naruto, you spent five years aching over this girl, and you really think you're over her just because you saw her again?"

"I'm not saying it makes sense, but that's what's happening."

Sakura shook her head. "Your emotions must be in shock." She glanced at him. "Look, if you're really over her, then that's great, but this is probably your one and only chance to get some closure. Just...do whatever it takes to _be_ happy, Naruto. The village has been so dead these last few years."

He laughed, scratching his forehead. "This place really falls apart without me, huh?"

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "It gets boring, but we function just fine."

He laughed again then gestured at Sasuke. "So, how long you think he'll be out?"

"Hard to say. When I fix everything, he's still going to need to rest for quite a bit. If he could go to a hospital, then he'd have medical nin rotating shifts to constantly treat him, but it's just me. I still have hospital duties _and_ missions coming up, so I don't know how long it will take for me to heal him properly." She paused, thinking of the strain this would put on her. "Where's Hinata anyway?"

"She said she was gathering."

"Gathering?"

"I don't really know what it means either."

Sakura stared down at Sasuke, pressing her lips in a thin line. "Naruto...you let Hinata go off by herself?"

"Yeah."

"You let Hinata—a missing kunoichi—wander in a forest where Leaf shinobi constantly roam coming to and from the village?"

Naruto stared, his lips parted. "This... That's bad, right?"

"Aaaand he's the same," she huffed to herself, retracting her hands. She wiped a hand across her forehead and looked at Naruto. "Stay here with Sasuke. I'm going to go find Hinata."

The blond looked at Sasuke and got to his feet, turning out the cave. "You shouldn't leave me alone with him."

o0o0o

Naruto had a relatively easy time finding her. She had ventured in one direction, and, when he finally spotted her, she was kneeling next to a stream. He stopped a few yards away, leaning against a tree, and watched her. It was still strange—this change of hers. She went from being an heiress to being a missing ninja. She used to sleep in a lavish bed, but now she sleeps on cave floors.

He found it interesting.

In every aspect of her life, she downgraded, but she had no intentions of turning back. He wondered if she would have changed at all if she hadn't left. She would still be living the high life, but would she have gained confidence because of it? Would she have become this level-headed woman?

Could he have made Hinata stronger?

Hinata looked back, spotting Naruto. He straightened, looking around for a moment, before walking her way.

"Sorry, I- Yeah. Sakura was worried with you being out here on your own."

"Was she..." She watched Naruto approach her, looking him over.

"How'd you know I was there?"

"Well, Naruto, I'm a ninja. I lived in one of the best nations in the ninja world. My family is pretty well-known for their skills, so... I don't know."

He laughed, shaking his head, and took a spot next to her.

"But, seriously," she said, smirking, "you _really_ feel like... You've changed, that's all."

"What, have you felt something similar to me?"

She nodded, forming her words. "Yes, well, you've always had such an impactful presence. It's just a lot...heavier. It's—it's very _there_. A little dark, even."

"Like Gaara's?"

"Mhm, yes." She turned to the stream, scooping up water. "Or Sasuke."

Naruto's eyebrows raised. Hinata busied herself with using a water jutsu to catch fish, almost humming to herself.

"Huh." Naruto ruffled his hair. "So, um, how... How has the whole...runaway thing...been?"

She laughed. "Runaway... It's a lot different from what I always imagined."

"You used to imagine yourself running away?"

"Yes... Mostly as a child, but I'm glad I never did. I wouldn't have been ready in the slightest."

"Was it bad?"

She hesitated. "It was difficult, yes. The first year, if I had to categorize it, was the worst. We had no home; people were searching for us wherever we went; there's no way to take on any form of work because no one can know your face. But...we managed. Survival skills, befriending the homeless and other runaways or travelers—it all helps."

"Sounds rough."

She smiled, giving him a glance. "As a whole, it was... It _is_ amazing." She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, a fire in her eyes. "I don't think you realize how much more there is than just our ninja world."

"Yeah? Well, how much more can there actually be?"

"_So much_, Naruto. So _so_ much."

"Oh yeah?" he challenged, interested. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Sakura sighed, lying on her back. She stopped healing Sasuke for now, and she wished she hadn't exerted herself. She knew there was no point in straining her abilities because it wouldn't help heal the Uchiha any faster, but she hoped to prove herself wrong.

She looked to the side, staring at the cave's entrance. Hinata and Naruto had been gone for a long time, seeing how it was late afternoon. She bit her lip, troubled.

"They wouldn't," she mumbled to herself, not knowing what it was they wouldn't do. _They_ wouldn't run off together because Naruto had too much at stake. So...they wouldn't get caught up in the past because the past held too many memories and emotions...which could lead to certain actions that...they just wouldn't and _shouldn't_ do.

Sitting up, ready to go searching, she heard talking and occasional laughter draw near the cave. Hinata walked in, carrying a bundle of fish, and Naruto followed, carrying an armful of leaves, twigs, and other wildlife. They were engrossed in a conversation she couldn't make sense of, and they looked so...happy.

_Naruto_ looked happy.

"Sakura," Hinata greeted as the two walked over to her. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, for the day. I'll need to come back a few times since I can't use up too much chakra."

"That's fine. I understand." She knelt next to her and set the fish aside, rubbing her hands on her pants. "Ah, sorry about fish hands, but here." She placed her hands on top of the pinkette's. Sakura stared as light blue chakra simmered from Hinata's hands and a soothing warmth spread throughout her own body. Hinata pulled her hands away after a few minutes, smiling wearily.

"What was that?" Sakura looked at her hands; she felt surprisingly refreshed—energized.

"That's how we pay sometimes."

"Oh... You didn't need to pay me."

Hinata stared at her, distracted.

"Hinata?"

The dark-haired woman blinked, shaking her head. "You're really pretty."

Sakura jerked backwards, her eyes darting around the cave. "Ah—oh. Um, th-thank you. Uh..." She jumped to her feet. "We have to go now." She turned out the cave, dragging Naruto along and causing him to drop his items.

Naruto protested, mainly because their height difference wasn't helping him walk backwards. "Sakura, hold on!" he pleaded. "Whatcha get all flustered for?"

"I was _not_ flustered," she denied despite her flushed cheeks. She released him, crossing her arms. "I just... I haven't been complimented like that in a while."

"What about your boyfriend?"

"I mean by other people."

"What? The hospital, the villagers, other villages-"

"Not by someone from our circle," she snapped. "Not by...by someone from the old group."

Naruto frowned. "Never knew you cared so much about what we thought."

"I don't. Not really. I guess... Everyone's busy and I rarely like to be in group settings anymore, but I _do_ miss having everyone pop up every now and then." She stared at the ground, waiting for Naruto to respond. When he didn't, she looked up and found him staring at her.

Hard.

She flinched. "What?"

He shook his head, shrugging. "Nothin'. You just look really pretty today."

She reddened and, by total reflex alone, punched him, sending him colliding into a trash can. "Geez! I wasn't looking for pity!" she roared, storming off.

o0o0o

When she got to her apartment, she was still fuming, and the compliments of the day rammed around her head. It was an odd thing to care about it at all. Things were suddenly so...lively and unpredictable. Maybe that's why she was like this.

"Sakura is that you?" Keita called as a response to the door slamming.

"Yeah, it's me." She sighed, taking off her shoes. She noticed there was an extra pair.

Keita came to greet her. "Hey, Ki..."

Sakura stared at him. He had stopped in his tracks and was looking at her with such wide eyes. She frowned, tilting her head.

"Hey, Saku..." Kiba emerged, but he had become just as doe-eyed, confused even.

"What's up with you two?" she asked, wary of the attention.

"You're really beautiful," Keita said.

"Wha-?!" Sakura's face felt unbearably hot. "D-Dammit, Kiba!"

"But I didn't-!"

A shoe collided with his face.

* * *

"Uh, do you need some help?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Well... Alright."

Another perplexed civilian passed an oddly pleased Naruto as he stared up at the sky, lying in a heap of garbage.

He felt good.

Life felt really good.

He thought he would feel more angry with himself for wasting five years of his life the way he did, but, if he had to be honest, it wasn't all bad. He had become stronger, different, impacful like-

_"-Sasuke."_

-the ninja he always could be. There was a chance his friends had missed him during this depressing time of his, and he was grateful to have the opportunity to fix things.

Everything.

He laughed to himself. "A world even the ninja's don't know, huh?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy!**

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"What?"

"Say what you said again."

Naruto quirked a brow. "I...read the scrolls?"

"And?" Tsunade prompted.

"...Highlighted parts I thought could use some revision."

Tsunade stared at him, face unreadable. Naruto fidgeted in his seat, peeking at Shizune, who looked both shocked by his actions and confused by Tsunade's.

"Was I...not supposed to write on them or something?"

"That's not it," Shizune said. "It's just... That was very productive of you, Naruto."

His confusion heightened. "You're saying you both are surprised I read them?"

"You read them, analyzed them, and have new ideas to offer. Do not take this personally, but that's very unlike you, um, lately."

He supposed that was a compliment. Then again, he was going to be Hokage soon, so they should expect him to put in more effort than usual. Maybe he really was out of it up until now.

"Let me see," Tsunade demanded, suspiciously irritable.

Naruto frowned, handing her the scrolls. "You don't have to look like I'm wasting your time."

"Until proven otherwise, I should assume you are."

Naruto said nothing as Tsunade looked over the scrolls. He could have made a fuss and countered her statement, but he'd let his actions speak on his behalf.

As Tsunade read the scrolls with new eyes, the room was filled with an air of anticipation. Shizune was stiff, awaiting the Yell Fest that would surely follow. Naruto sat back in his chair, staring out the window behind the blonde woman, and calculated ways to make this session fly by the fastest.

When Tsunade looked at him again, she was highly impressed but refused to let it show. Naruto looked at her, and the two were locked in a tense staring contest, with Naruto's overflowing sureness conquering.

"Well," Tsunade began, blinking once, "do you have the written statements to counter these old rules?"

Naruto's eyes widened, one hand coming to rub his chin. "Written statements?"

"Yes, Naruto, written statements. I told you before that you need to be ready to come up with alternatives for-"

"Yeah, I got those." Naruto pulled a packet of papers from his jacket, holding it up with an oh-so naive look on his face. After observing Tsunade's blatant astonishment, he smirked, his eyes lowering coyly. "Typed. Double spaced. I even made the font big enough for _your_ granny eyes."

The women went slack-jawed, unable to come up with anything to say.

Since when did he have patience with technology?

o0o0o

"So that's all, right?" Naruto asked, stretching as he stood. "Treaties, customs, events."

"Yeah." Tsunade rubbed her temple, staring at the young man wearily.

"Great. You want me to take that," he gestured to the packet he brought, "to those old guys before I leave?"

"No... No, I want to go over it one more time. Just... You can go."

Naruto stared for a moment before smirking knowingly, turning to leave. Tsunade watched as the door closed behind him. When his footsteps could no longer be heard, she let out a loud huff, throwing herself back in her chair.

"Time."

Shizune blinked, stumped for a second. "Oh, it's...half past eleven."

An hour.

Naruto had reduced their usual twelve hour sessions to one—single—hour.

And he had done most of the talking.

"I really hate arrogance," the Senju muttered, glancing at Shizune. "But I _really_ hate justified arrogance. Since when did he get so..._good_?"

Shizune shrugged. "It seems to have happened overnight."

"Was he just messing with us?" the blonde asked, looking as though she just had an epiphany. "Those years where he was moping and groaning, was he really just bidding his time for some..._massive_ comeback? Is this one huge 'Fuck you'-"

"Lady Tsunade!

"-for all those times people put him down?"

"Well... I don't know if it's exactly that, but he has matured greatly. Maybe we can just see it better now that he's gotten over Lady Hyuuga and Uchiha Sasuke's departure."

"You mean Hinata's kidnapping and Sasuke's great escape?" She sighed, unconsciously strumming the handle leading to her saké bottle. "Whatever the case, he's definitely feeling like the same old Naruto—with interest."

* * *

With his hands in his pockets, parted lips revealing his tongue pressed against his teeth, and his mind thoroughly delved into his thoughts, people couldn't help but stare. The few who saw him the day before knew something was different about him, but, now, he was striking chords in all who was present to witness it.

Yet no one quite knew what it was about the Uzumaki that made him so..._striking_.

His overwhelming aura?

The utterly purposeful steps he took?

His suddenly resurfaced charm with the latent air of mystery?

Naruto vaguely smiled to himself, finding a particular thought amusing, and allowed his feet to lead him to Ichiraku. When he arrived at the ramen shop, Teuchi had to do a double take, his final look fully taking in the blond.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, concerned, as he took a seat.

"No..." the man said, a smile soon spreading across his features. "Not at all, my boy! I almost didn't recognize you with this good attitude."

Naruto tilted his head, biting his inner lip. "Was I really so different before?"

"You gotta understand, Naruto. You spent the first sixteen years of your life gracing us with loud antics and bright smiles."

"It was only a little while that it stopped."

Teuchi laughed. "Sorry, but it seems you spoiled us. So, what'll you have?"

"What's the special for the day?"

"Well..." The man coughed. "I only said that because I thought you would get the usual."

"I will," Naruto grinned. "I only asked to be polite."

Teuchi smiled genuinely, shaking his head, his heart swelling. "Glad to have you back."

o0o0o

Naruto walked down the street, trying to kill time. Somewhere between leaving the Hokage Tower and his second bowl of ramen, he realized he had accumulated a lot of money over the years, and he now decided to spend some of it. He stopped by an old dango shop and bought some high-priced dango.

They were disgusting.

Next was an ice cream stand where he order a cone with three scoops of chocolate. With the combination of ramen and bad dango, the frozen treat wasn't exactly appetizing.

He poured out the ice cream near an ant bed and ate the cone.

A small bakery caught his eye and, for the heck of it, he bought a bag of cookies he didn't intend to eat any time soon. All in all, he managed to waste thirty minutes and decided he didn't _have_ to pretend with himself.

He turned around and made his way toward the Main Gates.

Still oblivious to the stares that had followed him since he left his apartment, Naruto wondered why he felt so good. On the inside, he felt light and slightly jittery. On the outside, it just felt _so good_ to be him. He ran a hand through his hair—making unsuspecting villagers swoon—and absently sent a particular, unintentionally sultry glance toward a group of passerbys, which resulted in the stumbling of feet and flustered gasps.

"You wanna tone down the sex appeal just a bit?"

Naruto stopped, turning, and noticed Kiba and Akamaru near a tree behind him. "Hey." He grinned. "Whatcha guys doin'?"

Kiba eyed him for a moment, sniffing the air. "Why do you smell so...different?"

"Sme...? Do I smell bad?"

"This scent... I've smelled it before." He walked over to him, sniffing more intently.

Naruto watched him, a bit uneasy at his implication. "Really? Wouldn't know why."

"Eh, it could just be all in my head." Kiba stopped in front of him, seemingly sizing him up. "But, tell me, what have you been up to these last few days?"

"Uh," he took a step back, "what's bothering you?"

Kiba didn't say anything for a long moment. It was then that Naruto noticed just how fatigued the Inuzuka looked and wondered what could have brought it on.

Kiba sighed, shaking his head. "I haven't been sleeping well," he admitted. "Which must explain why my sense of smell has been off."

"Oh—uh—yeah? What do you mean?"

"I think I'm catching Hinata's scent."

Naruto went rigid.

"But it doesn't really smell like her to begin with, so maybe I'm just imagining it." He looked at him pointedly. "But then I'm catching the scent on you. Kinda. It's all throwing me off."

"Oh... Well, why not ask Akamaru? His nose is more accurate, right?" And Naruto cringed as the words left his mouth because _why_ was he putting ideas in his head?

"He's in the same boat as me," Kiba explained, not noticing Naruto's turmoil. "We tried following the scent but it stops on one of the rooftops—if it's really there at all." He shrugged. "We could just be imagining it."

"Yeah... There really wouldn't be a reason for Hinata to be back after all this time."

Kiba raised a brow. "You sound so sure. But maybe you're right. I should just drop it." He turned, waving Akamaru to follow as he walked. "I'll be at Sakura's place."

Naruto watched him, becoming alert when the brunette stopped, not turning back to face him.

"But you would tell me if you saw her, wouldn't you?" Kiba muttered.

"Ah... Sakura?"

Kiba turned his head, fixing the blond with a threatening glare.

"I..." Naruto looked away briefly. "If Hinata returned to the village, yeah, I'd tell you."

"Under those conditions, huh?"

With no more words, the two went their separate ways.

* * *

He'd be lying if his encounter with Kiba didn't dampen his mood. It never really crossed his mind to tell anyone about Hinata's appearance. It almost made him wonder if he would have told Sakura if Hinata herself had not requested the kunoichi.

But why _should_ he have to tell anyone?

She had made it clear her stay was temporary, so her family and former team should be spared the fluctuation of emotions he had experienced himself. Besides, if they had the chance to meet her, he was almost certain she would leave quicker than she intended, and, well... If she took the risk of coming all the way back here, maybe she _deserved_ to not be bothered by them.

And...maybe him?

He served his purpose, and, if he thought about it, she wouldn't have visited him at all had Sakura been home. If it wasn't for that minor mishap, he wouldn't have known she was here...

But...

All the possibilities didn't matter because he _did_ know, and things finally felt _normal_. He wasn't doing anything particularly wrong. He was sure he only kept coming back to keep Sakura company, so any other concern trying to burden him could be pushed to the side.

And it was.

When he made his way over to the cave, he was slightly surprised to see Hinata exiting—as though to meet him.

"Naruto," she greeted, walking over the less than durable foliage. "Nice to see you—again."

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you just came on your own this time, so I was wondering if something happened."

"Ah—no. I thought I'd keep Sakura company, but I guess she hasn't come yet."

Hinata frowned slightly, and he was so sure she was skeptical of something he said. "Sakura already came this morning. She should be at the hospital now, but... Well, to be honest, I'm surprised you didn't know that."

He shrugged. "I haven't exactly been keeping up with everyone lately."

"No?" She frowned deeper. "Why's that?"

"Ya know-"

_You left me._

"-Hokage business."

Hinata became silent, eyes slightly wide, and took to looking at him in some state of surprise. As the seconds passed, Naruto's face gradually scrunched as his self-consciousness grew.

"Hi-"

"You're Hokage?" she asked.

"Hokage in training," he amended. "Yeah, it won't be official until next year. Maybe... Those old guys in charge of this stuff keep raving on and on about how they let it slide that Grandma Tsunade didn't have a husband 'cause she was, ya know, a little old, but they want me to at least... At least... Uh..."

"Get...married?" she offered, trying to fill in the blanks.

"Yeah... Yeah, married." He scrunched a brow, looking to the side. "I don't see what that has to do with protecting the village, though."

"I'm confused. Why not get married?"

He didn't answer her. His eyes were drawn to the abundance of trees, and something inside him sparked in an almost painful jolt, the lingering effects ebbing along his nerves until he no longer knew what he felt. Slowly, he looked at her, his blue eyes dark and clouded. Her eyes were unaffected and still held confusion and curiosity; she obviously didn't notice a change.

"I'm sorry, what?" he said, cocking his head to the side, mind clearing.

"Why don't you just get married?"

"Who would I marry?"

She leaned back slightly, her confusion mounting. "Are... Aren't you... You're not dating Sakura?"

"What?" Now he was confused. "She has a boyfriend."

Hinata's head tilted downward. "Boyfriend? It's not you?"

"No, it's not me. Why would you think it would be me?"

"I... Hm." She looked a way briefly, her lips puckering in thought. "That's...weird, Naruto." She looked back at him, silent for a few seconds, and decided to smile. "Glad to hear about you becoming Hokage, though."

He rolled his eyes, smiling himself. "Yeah, thanks."

"Well, if Sakura comes back today, I'll tell her you stopped by."

And he hadn't expected that. Watching her walk back toward the cave, he realized he expected to spend a good portion of his day here because, really, he had nothing else to do. He looked around for a moment, thinking.

"Kiba can smell you."

"Ki-" Hinata spun around. "Kiba? What do you mean?"

"I saw him before I came here. He says he's been smelling a scent that's kinda like yours."

Hinata didn't know what to say. She began to press her fingers to her collarbone, troubled. "Did he really say that?"

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"Oh..." Another moment passed by in silence. "And... What did you... What did he say he would do about it?"

"You know, it'd be better if I start from the beginning."

"What's the beginning?"

"When you left."

"Ah... I don't want-"

"I have cookies," he said, lifting the bag. "How long has it been since you've had something sweet?"

She hesitated, her fingers strumming her shoulder. "What kind are they?"

"Chocolate."

"Chip?"

He frowned, lowering it. "No... Just chocolate."

"...One cookie, Naruto. _One_."

Amused, he laughed, rolling his eyes, and waved her over. "Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say."

* * *

**_That Evening_**

"You know you don't live here, right?"

Kiba and Keita looked at her, both sitting on the living room sofa.

"Dude," Kiba looked at the other brunette, "I think you just got dumped."

Keita blinked repeatedly, tears springing to his eyes. "I can't believe you're doing this to me!" he wailed, flinging himself in the arms of the Inuzuka. "Sakura, I love you!"

"Dammit, woman!" Kiba fired dramatically, rubbing the back of the sobbing man. "Can't you see that he is hurting?! _Hurting!_"

"I gave her the best years of my life!"

"The _very_ best!"

"I cooked and cleaned!"

"He _slaved!_"

"I made sure to keep myself in shape!"

"He's not even a ninja!"

"I gave her my mind, body, and _soul_!"

"You! Took! _Everything!_"

"Oh my god, stop," Sakura groaned, rubbing her temples and forcing away a smile. "It's always something with you guys."

Both men laughed, adjusting themselves on the sofa. Sakura stared at the nearly identical ways their teeth gleamed and the way their laughs were like echoes of each other.

She cringed. "So, _Kiba_, what are you doing here? I can't afford to feed both you and _that_ one right there."

"Tck." Kiba jabbed a thumb at the man beside him. "You're not the only one who finds him interesting."

She huffed. "You guys are basically twins, so I can't even say I'm surprised."

"Which makes me wonder why you never decided to date _him_," Keita said.

Kiba and Sakura looked at each other in disgust.

"Don't ever be that stupid again." Kiba groaned, shaking himself. "She's lucky she got a guy like you, so don't make her upset because she couldn't get a true treasure. Not like she could if she tried."

"Eh, I'd say I'm the lucky one," Keita said, giving his girlfriend a seductive wink—or his best attempt.

"Eh, whatever."

"You both are exhausting," Sakura sighed, turning out the door. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"By the way!" Keita called. "I got a job working at the Yamanaka's shop!"

Sakura turned, eyeing him skeptically. "Ino's shop?"

"Yeah. It was the only place to hire me, really."

"Eh... You and Naruto get along, right? Why not just wait until he becomes Hokage so you can get a good job?"

"Because I don't want my first favor to him to be a job request."

Sakura shrugged. If she thought about it, she hadn't seen Naruto today. She wondered if he made it to his meeting with Tsunade at all. Moreover, thinking of Naruto made her think of Hinata, and Hinata always pulled her thoughts to Sasuke—and vis versa.

She debated with herself before ultimately sighing. "I'm going out."

"You just got home."

"Yeah, but I forgot to check up on one of my patients."

* * *

"It wasn't Hanabi?" Hinata gasped.

Naruto shook his head, offering her another cookie. "Your clan hasn't mingled much with the village, but I remember the announcement when Neji took over."

"Neji did..." She nibbled on the treat. "And marriage?"

"Is Neji married? No idea."

"Wow... Neji... Do you know what happened to Hanabi then?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's very, _very_ rare to see anyone from your clan these days."

"I see... And you said Kiba and Sakura are close friends now?"

"I said Kiba is close friends with her boyfriend, so the two are kinda friends by default. Heh, but you should see this guy. He's so much like Kiba it's a little... It's just weird." Naruto noticed she was almost done with her cookie and reached in the bag to retrieve another. "Oh... All gone."

Hinata jolted. "I ate them all?"

"Huh. Looks like you did." He shot her a grin. "All twelve? You must have been hungry."

Her cheeks tinted, hands flying to cover her mouth. "I am so sorry. Why didn't you say anything?"

He shrugged. "Too busy talking."

Hinata looked around, the sound of chirping birds alerting her to the giant shift in time. She jumped to her feet, realizing she had gotten distracted.

Naruto stood as well. "What's wrong?"

She looked to the cave. A bright, cackling light was illuminating the dark space. "Sasuke!"

She ran inside, Naruto ready to follow her.

"Naruto." He turned just as Sakura landed behind him. She was about to speak but looked in the cave when she realized the noise she heard was close. "What happened?!"

Naruto had no time to answer before Sakura darted inside. He followed quickly behind and saw Hinata kneeling next to Sasuke, holding his left arm down as a particularly large, extremely heat inducing Chidori was gathered in his palm. The Hyuuga was engulfed in the attack.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, but Sakura stopped him from getting closer.

"Hinata!" Sakura yelled. "Just wait until it passes!"

Hinata's Byakugan was activated, and she struggled to gather chakra of her own into her hand. Ignoring the pain, she feverishly blocked the Uchiha's tenketsu points. The Chidori began tapered off, stopping completely. Hinata huffed, Byakugan still activated, and looked him over carefully.

Sakura quickly approached, immediately drawn to the burns around the Hyuuga's arms and face.

"I wasn't paying attention," Hinata said, wincing at her injuries. "I got distracted."

"Just be still." Sakura placed her hands over Hinata's arms, healing her. "I won't have much energy to heal him after this."

"Then just-"

"I'm _not_ just going to let you sleep out here with fresh burns. Sasuke can wait."

"What was that?" Naruto asked, looking over the Uchiha who was, in fact, unconscious. "How did..._that_ even happen?"

"He's been forming attacks in his sleep," Sakura muttered. "It wasn't _this_ bad this morning, though."

"He's getting better," Hinata smiled half-heartedly. "He does this a lot when we move to a new place."

"That's not healthy," Sakura snapped. "For either of you. He could seriously hurt someone."

"I'm usually there to stop it before it starts," Hinata said. "But...like I said, I got distracted."

"I noticed," Sakura muttered.

o0o0o

When Sakura was done healing Hinata, she and Naruto left for the night. She was not pleased with today, though most of it had to do with the hospital.

"He's going to be better soon," she mentioned as they walked back to the gates.

"Is he," Naruto said, not much emotion on his part.

"She's really going to need to watch him until he wakes up, so she can't get distracted like she did today."

"It was an accident."

"Naruto..." Sakura had to find her words. "You got your closure, right? You're over her?"

He huffed. "I already told you."

"So if that's the case, it's best if you stop going there."

"We weren't doing anything wrong."

"It's just not...safe. For any of you. Things with you are starting to fall back into place, but if you keep going around her-"

"_Nothing_ is going to happen, Sakura. Things are different-"

"And she's different-"

"Yeah, I've noticed."

Sakura pulled him to a stop, looking him dead on. "Maybe I've lost my right to say this, but I know you, Naruto. You think you're in control of this situation, but you're not. Trust me, _you're not_."

"Maybe you _have_ lost your right to say that because I'm telling you _I'm fine_. Talking to her isn't-"

"Why talk to _her_? Why not talk to the friends that will still be here in two weeks? Talk to the friends who have been waiting for you to get better. Don't try to get close to her, because she's just going to leave you again."

"Well, maybe it's different this time! If she's different, and I'm different, maybe it won't end that way!"

"Do you hear yourself?! Just what do you think is going to happen between the both of you!"

"We can-!" He forced himself to stop. What did he think would happen? He wasn't trying to make anything happen, so maybe _he_ wasn't trying to start it. Maybe he was hoping things would...

That maybe...

He let out a sound of frustration, storming off and leaving Sakura behind.

It had started off as such a good day.

* * *

Hinata sat in the darkness of the cave. She had put out the fire; it was far too warm for it anyway. With a makeshift fan made out of leaves, she fanned the unconscious Uchiha and made sure to catch every movement he made.

It was well into the night when she began to doze off. Sasuke shifted, causing her to jerk awake, activating her Byakugan.

"Hinata..."

Her Byakugan stopped, eyes squinting as though to bring back that sleep riddled voice.

"Where are we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy!**

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Sakura lied awake most of the night, thinking. She didn't know if it was her stressed mind or if that childish part of her never went away, but she was worried about Naruto and Sasuke. It was irritating how that concern constantly nagged at her—_again—_in such a short amount of time, but they never knew how to take on burdens in stride, so how could she not worry?

She honestly wanted to know the answer.

At the crack of dawn, she crept out of bed and prepared herself for a day at the hospital. It was as she was combing her hair that she looked at her reflection. She tilted her head to the side, touching her cheek with her fingers. She had never taken much notice of her features in these few years, and, while she did not look significantly different, her face was more feminine, her eyes sharper, her hair longer. She frowned at her shoulder length pink tresses.

When had that happened?

After an agonized search for hair ties she seldom used, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and crept through her living room. She paused for a second to stare at Keita, who was asleep on the pullout sofa. Her mind lingered for a moment, wondering why he was a bit old-fashioned, but brushed the thought aside and exited her apartment.

Her shift at the hospital wouldn't start for another two hours—and it amazed her how people still managed to get hurt after the war—so she ventured to the cave. She wondered if she should put more effort into helping Sasuke. Healing aside, he should be lying on something far more comfortable than rock hard ground. It also wasn't very beneficial for him to be in the same clothes for this long—who knows how much longer he was in them before that—but she couldn't just carry a mattress to him.

Plus, she didn't even sponge bathe her own patients.

Then there was Naruto, who was on a course for another heartbreak. However, Naruto's problem was something she couldn't help avoid because he was content with believing things would turn out differently. Once Hinata left again... There was no telling if he would be better off or not, and wishing Hinata never returned in the first place was also tricky.

She hoped things wouldn't get much worse.

When Sakura was close to the cave, the rumbling of thunder caught her ears.

Rain...

That never made for a pleasant mood at the hospital.

When she walked inside, she strained her eyes to see. "Hinata? Are you awake?"

The kunoichi didn't reply, so Sakura ventured farther on her own. She knelt, feeling around for a moment, until she found Sasuke, but, when her hand landed on his shoulder, something felt odd. She grasped around, moving towards his torso, and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Rattled, she tried searching around and calling for Hinata, but it became apparent she was not there. She stood, hurrying out of the cave, and briskly walked through the forest to find the dark-haired woman.

She tracked down the Hyuuga, who was quite a ways from the cave. Hinata was knelt next to a stream, her hair pulled to one side, and she was wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Alert, and highly confused, Sakura hurried over to her. "Hinata?"

The woman jumped, clutching wet clothes to her chest, and turned around. "Ah... You're early."

"And you're...naked." She paused. "Why?"

Hinata frowned slightly, her cheeks tinting. "Sasuke said my clothes smell."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, tilting her head. "He woke up?"

Hinata smiled. "Yes, but he's still in pain." She dug around in one of the pants pockets and pulled out a white bottle. "Can you get more painkillers like these, please? There wasn't much to begin with, but they seem to really help."

Sakura took the bottle from her, looking it over. "Did Naruto give you these?"

"Yes." She paused. "They weren't prescribed, were they?"

"No... No, not exactly" She tucked the bottle away and knelt next to her. "Listen, Hinata, about Sasuke- _You_ and Sasuke... It's just... You have to know there's a lot at stake here."

Hinata hesitated. "Is he going to be okay?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm sure Sasuke is going to be okay, but that isn't... What I'm saying is, whatever caused Sasuke's injuries didn't happen around here, because we would have felt or heard something."

"...You're correct."

"So, why did you bring him here? Why did you come back to the village if you weren't going to stay? Why make Sasuke move around when he shouldn't have been able to?"

Hinata frowned, looking away briefly. "I wasn't...aware of most of the damage at the time. If I had known he was in pain, I wouldn't have let him agitate his injuries... But we always planned to come back someday—for a little while. We just never planned on getting anyone involved."

"Why would you come back at all then?"

"Because...there's something we need to do." Hinata bit her lip, setting the clothes aside, and brought Sakura's hand to her heart. "You feel that? I'm _terrified_. Being back here terrifies me because I _am_ afraid of being seen by someone I knew, but I also think part of me is hoping for it."

"So, why not stay for good?" But that was only a question she asked on reflex, and Hinata understood that.

Hinata set Sakura's hand down. "Once Sasuke can move again, we'll be leaving."

"And you both plan to do something? Here?"

"Yes... That's the plan, but, now that I'm here, I'm not sure if I have the nerve anymore."

Sakura wanted to ask who she was talking about. She wondered if it involved Naruto, but she had already faced him. Maybe she wanted to face him about their past, which the two seemed to be avoiding. This led her to want to ask about Naruto, but what good would her knowledge on the matter do? Would it change anything? Would it make this whole situation pass quicker? She knew it wouldn't, and she couldn't afford to burden herself with anything else.

Sakura glanced skyward. "It's about to rain. When the clouds roll in, lighting a fire wouldn't be the best idea."

"Yes, but I was already washing before the thunder sounded. I should have known it was going to rain, though..."

"Your clothes aren't going to smell much better from being washed here."

Hinata groaned slightly, troubled. "I know... I just wanted him to be in something a little...cleaner."

Sakura pursed her lips. Sasuke's cuts were healed and all that remained were bruises, but even _she_ was used to making sure patients were in clean clothes when they came to her in states less serious than his. Logically speaking, he would be fine unless he caught some kind of disease...but...

"I could...wash your clothes for you."

Hinata looked at her. "That... That would look suspicious, wouldn't it—walking into the village with a handful of clothes?"

Sakura waved her hand. "If I stay out here long enough, I can just say I went off to one of the small towns near here. The closest one is about an hour, if I run fast."

Hinata cracked a smile. "So, what are you going to do for two hours?"

She shrugged. "Talk to you, I guess."

o0o0o

"Well, it's about that time." Sakura stood with her arms full of clothes. "You'll be alright until I get back, right?"

No answer.

"Hinata?" she called into the cave.

"I think...I want my underwear back."

Sakura looked at the bra and panties in the pile and tucked them at the bottom. "You definitely can't spend days on end without washing them."

"Sakura... What if...someone-"

"Ah... Between now and this evening, you'll be fine if you don't go out. This place will be pretty hard to find once the rain starts."

"Yes, but what if _someone_ comes by?"

"No one will- Oh. _Oh...__" __She paused. "_I'll take care of it."

Hinata was quiet for a moment. "Just... Hurry back." Pause. "And thank you."

* * *

Tsunade never got used to waking up early. She thought forming a habit would make her more accustomed to the Hokage lifestyle, but she had merely conditioned herself to wake up at certain time. Actually feeling rested was a whole different matter.

Today would be the day she sent out notices to the other Kages about her retirement. She's sure they heard the rumors by now—Mei especially had sent her best regards since last year—but she decided to make it official. She never saw herself as becoming Hokage, but it was even more strange to see herself retire.

And to step down for Naruto, no less...

She sighed, both pleased and annoyed. The brat had done very well for himself, so she didn't fully regret giving up her title, but she did wish to get the best of him one more time. Of course, there was still some time before she retired, so she should stop being so nostalgic.

Still...

The doors to her office opened, and Sakura walked in. Surprised, Tsunade sat back in her chair, observing the young woman. "It's been a while since I received an informal visit from you, Sakura."

"I'm sorry, my lady."

"And you went back to being so polite, I see. I can't say I've missed it."

Sakura smiled. "Forgive me, but I thought it'd be appropriate since I'm asking for a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes. It concerns Naruto."

"Ah, Naruto... He's become quite the little...something, hasn't he? If you're requesting marriage, I don't think anyone will oppose-"

"I'm still with Keita, my lady."

Tsunade blinked once, clearing her throat. "I see. Never mind, then." She paused. "You're not married, are you?"

"No, my lady."

"Good. I'll be waiting on that invitation then. What's this favor you want?"

"Naruto seems to be acting like his old self again, but I don't he was taking his role as future Hokage seriously up until now."

"He has proved himself more than capable," Tsunade said. "That is why I, and the elders, agreed to make him the next in charge."

"Yes, but it's more than just being capable, isn't it? He needs to be motivated and capable of doing more than just the physical part of serving the village."

"Hm, yes, but I'm sure he'll make up for that very soon."

"It's more than just that. If he really wants to take over the village, then he should make up for the lost time as soon as possible. Since missions are rare for him lately, why not start today?"

Tsunade strummed her fingers on the desk, thinking. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

* * *

Naruto was leaned against his kitchen counter, finishing his third piece of toast. He awoke not too long ago, had gotten dressed, and just...had an intense craving for toast. So, he stood there, with the bag of bread open next to the toaster, and absent-mindedly put another slice in as he thought of...nothing.

Nothing...

But he was feeling a lot, which somehow erupted this craving for toast.

And it was all because...memories in the form of dreams were the absolute worst.

_(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)(\/)_

_Naruto was rigid, his vision blurry most likely because his eyes were crossed. When he realized he was still hovering over her, he withdrew, rolling to one side of the bed, and took to staring at the ceiling. He was panting, hoping to regain his breath so the room would stop being filled with just the sounds of him. Swallowing hard, he looked to the side without turning his head, and immediately looked away from the heiress._

_He couldn't believe they..._

_They really...had...sex... And it was...different than what he thought it would be. There was a lot more restraint and nervousness than he would have ever thought possible, and now there was this... There was... Well, _**he**_ felt awkward because he... It was just..._

_He never knew he wanted her _**this**_ much—and not just in a physical sense._

_What they did just now couldn't have just been the regular, run of the mill sex. He was deeply touched both emotionally and mentally, and there was a desperate, chaotic need to accept and be accepted by Hinata in every way possible—so much so that he almost lost himself in the sudden desire. He knew his emotions for her were growing at an alarming rate, but he wasn't prepared to feel like this. He never thought he _**could**_ feel like this, and it was immensely terrifying because...he had no idea if she felt the same. He didn't want to care more than she did, but, if he __**was**__ the only one, then he had to do something to make sure she would feel the same desperation for him that he was beginning to feel for her._

_With his breathing back to normal, and his pounding heart still hammering, he faced the Hyuuga. She was turned away from him, wrapped in as much of his blanket as possible, and huddled into herself. He stared for a few seconds, not really sure how to read her body language, and it was then that he saw she was shaking._

_Then he heard her sniff._

_Naruto shot up, eyes wide. "Hinata? You're... Why are you...?"_

_She sniffed again, shaking her head. "I-I'm f-fi-fine-" And she broke down._

_He went wide-eyed, scared out of his mind. He leaned forward and place a hand on her shoulder. "Did it hurt? Are you sore or something? Did I-" He gasped, lifting the blanket to look at himself. "I used protection, right?!" He did. "I don't understand-"_

"_I-it's not any of that. I just... I didn't...d-didn't-"_

"_W...wait... Did you not...want to do that?" Guilt and horror washed over him relentlessly. "Hinata, did you not want to do that? We...we didn't have to. I thought... I would have stopped if you told me to- I never wanted you to-"_

"_No! I wanted to!" She turned to him, face red and wet, smiling weakly. "I'm just...so happy."_

"_Then... Then why are you crying?"_

_She laughed, wiping away tears that wouldn't stop. "I'm happy! For a moment, it felt like we were o-on the same wavelength for a ch-change, and I... I just... It hit me that w-we're really together, and...and..." She broke down again, speaking through tears. "You h-have n-n-no idea how much I've wanted you to accept my feelings."_

_He didn't know what to say. He was thrown for such a loop that his heart was swelling at realizing how much she thought of him._

_She loved him...so much..._

_She loved him so much that something like this was able to make her happy to the point of tears. What did he do to deserve someone like her, and _**why**_ was he lucky enough to actually have her wait for him?_

_Hinata looked at him through her tears when he didn't say anything. Her crying halted, eyes blinking repeatedly. She sat up with the blanket pulled to her chest. "Naruto? Why are you crying?"_

_The blond's face was scrunched and extremely red, tears welling. Hinata's sudden attention made them spill over. He feverishly ran his arm over his eyes. "D-Dammit! You just confused me, is all."_

"_O-oh... I-"_

"_No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that!" He looked at her, still overwhelmed. "I just don't understand how someone other than my parents is able to love me so much. Me! I mean, the village and everyone loves me now, but _**you**_... Your love is just... It's so much...and it's all aimed at _**me**_." He bowed his head, succumbing to the tears again. "I dunno why it hit me like this."_

_Hinata smiled, her own tears returning in waves. "I-I'm sorry."_

"_Why are you apologizing?" Naruto laughed, his tears somehow falling faster upon seeing her smile. He pulled her towards him, hugging her tight. "C-Come on, stop cryin'."_

"_But what about you?" she laughed._

_He buried his face in her hair, not sure how much of him was laughing or crying. "I can't help it!"_

_(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)(/\\)_

Dangerous.

It was very dangerous to dwell on that dream because he wasn't sure how much of that actually happened—like, for example, if he really felt all that _then_. They had both been emotional, but he would like to chalk that up to the fact that it was both of their first times.

But that was beside the point.

His logical side was kicking in, and it was taking everything in him to ignore it—and to force himself not to think about _why_ he was ignoring it. All he was willing to accept was that he was definitely in a situation he could back away from, but it wasn't as simple as being done with it. Any other reason beyond that was not his concern, so he was going to eat until he wasn't bothered anymore.

He sighed, catching the toast as it projected out of the toaster, and walked toward his front door. Looking around his room once more, he exited his apartment.

"Naruto."

The blond yelled, jumping away from his door and posing his toast as though it were a shuriken. "Ah... Huh?"

"Did we frighten you?"

"Uh..." Naruto recognized the two men standing at his door as bodyguards to some degree or other for Tsunade, but he had no idea why they were here. "Did you guys just get here or something?"

"We decided to wait for you to fully awaken before we escorted you to the Hokage Tower."

"So...you were just standing- Wait. I'm not supposed to go in today."

"On the contrary. Lady Tsunade has assigned you a full course of Hokage related affairs."

"Full...? Like...papers...and stuff?"

"And more in depth rules and procedures focusing on the fine details of diplomacy, yes. If we hurrying now, you may be done by midnight."

Naruto dropped his toast, gaping at them.

* * *

Being naked was...different...when hiding in a cave.

Hinata had not moved much from Sasuke's side, and most of it had to do with her lack of clothing; it made her alert to every little sound because, while she had gained a great amount of confidence and adopted a bit of Sasuke's blasé attitude, she would not be able to brush off confronting someone while being totally nude. If she could only relax, she knew she'd feel very content.

Sighing, she looked out the cave's entrance. It was mid-afternoon, and the rain was coming down hard. She wondered if this was all worth it. Maybe she shouldn't have brought them back to Konoha so soon. She _wouldn't_ have returned to Konoha so soon if what she and Sasuke did hadn't created a wonderful opportunity, but maybe this was all wrong. It was all too soon. But it's been nagging at her for the past two years to see him...

She **had** to say goodbye properly. It stunned her that she had been so much of a coward back then.

To distract herself, she activated her Byakugan to check on Sasuke. For a moment, she was stumped because she thought he was looking right at her. She stared intently, eyes squinting. "Sasuke?"

He grunted in response, forced.

"Oh." She sobered up in surprise. "You're awake."

He didn't say anything.

"Do you remember where we are?"

Still nothing.

"Are you...not really awake?"

"I'm naked."

She smiled, feeling an amused blush swarming her cheeks. "I am, too."

"Un." He blinked once. His eyes didn't give her the impression that he had a fully capable mind. "We had sex in a cave?"

She laughed, masking the slight embarrassment. "Do you remember what I told you earlier?"

"You're naked."

She puffed her cheek. It was still a mystery why his barely conscious mind always focused on sex or her body. "How do you feel?"

"Sore."

"Can you move at all?"

Sasuke stared in her direction for a long while until, much to her horror, he began to sit up. She deactivated her Byakugan and moved to stop him but was too afraid to touch him in fear of agitating his pain. He grunted as he struggled to maintain his posture but made no signs of lying back down.

Hinata blindly searched the ground to place a tentative hand on his. "You have serious injuries."

"I can feel it." He closed his hand around hers and began to get to his feet.

She tugged on him. "Please stop."

"I need to move."

"We can't..._go_ anywhere. We're in Konoha."

"Yeah." He pulled on her. "I remember."

Hinata conceded and helped Sasuke to his feet. He was uncomfortably warm. While supporting him, they walked to the entrance of the cave, staring at the pouring rain. It had gotten harder, she noticed. Sasuke stepped forward, pulling Hinata along.

"No," she said, pulling back.

He pulled again.

"Sasuke."

"Let's walk. I feel cramped."

"Like," she looked down at themselves, "this?"

"Aa."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Un." His hold on her tightened. "Let's go."

"Mm... Just... The ground is a little unstable." She paused. "So be careful."

Hinata led Sasuke over the mushy ground and into the forest. Their pace was slow, and they were completely drenched before they could get to stable ground. She was able to become relaxed about their nakedness—or at least distract her mind from it—and the rain actually eased her. The water was cool on her skin, but she felt neither cold nor uncomfortable.

His strength was nowhere near restored; she suspected he fought through most of the pain those five minutes they spent walking in the rain. She wasn't used to Sasuke being so injured, and the fact that she never had to deal with this in the five years they were together frightened her.

She lied next to him on the cave floor with the fire lit. With the rain pouring like it was, no one would notice it. She rubbed his chest methodically; it helped his breathing. "Sasuke," she murmured, "why did you redirect the jutsu?"

He grunted. "Why?"

"Half of that was aimed at me, so you wouldn't be in this state-"

"Even if it was half, we would both be lying back there. We got lucky."

"We shouldn't have tried."

"We'll do better next time."

Hinata didn't respond to that. There wasn't going to be a next time because she didn't want a next time. Messing around with jutsus wasn't worth going through this again; she liked having Sasuke around too much to just risk it all.

"By the way," Sasuke said, his voice deep and slightly slurred, "I don't like where we are."

"I know." She kissed his shoulder. "I know."

"We agreed on five more years."

"We did."

"But we're here now, so you have until I can at least walk on my own."

"Because we're here now, we both should get it over with." She paused. "Unless you plan to come back here again in five years."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "I need to focus on getting better."

She smiled. "Get well soon."

* * *

Sakura was worried about the time.

When she offered to wash their clothes, the fact that they would be naked all day long hadn't meant much to her. Now, with the night closing in, she was overcome with shame for putting a woman in such a vulnerable state. It was because of this shame that she filled a large backpack with items she thought would make their stay a little more comfortable.

When she entered the cave, the air became humid and a bit suffocating—the embers she saw gave her a clue why. She spotted Hinata lying next to Sasuke and approached them, kneeling. She placed her hand on Sasuke's forehead to check his temperature but found his bangs to be damp. Touching the rest of his hair, she discovered it was wet, too. She touched Hinata's hair and it was in much the same state.

They went outside?

Sasuke _moved_?

Hinata stirred, looking up at Sakura. "Oh, hi," she greeted drowsily, sitting up.

"Hey. I've brought you your clothes."

Hinata looked down at herself, awakening further. "Hm... Right..."

"We're both women, Hinata," Sakura said, removing the backpack. "It's fine."

"I...guess... Thank you for doing this for us."

"No problem." She handed her the clothes. Her eyes looked down, taking notice of the necklace around her neck. She saw it earlier but forgot to ask about it. "Why do you wear a vial around your neck?"

Hinata clutched it, suddenly becoming sheepish. "We both wear one." She turned to Sasuke to show her a matching vial around his neck. "To remember each other."

"Matching necklaces? What's in it?"

"Um... A liquid."

"It looked red when I saw it earlier." She laughed. "Is it blood?"

"Yes..."

Sakura stared at her for a moment, processing that. "You... Is that Sasuke's blood?"

"...Yes."

"Is he...wearing your blood?"

"...Yes..."

"...Couldn't go for bracelets, huh?"

Hinata laughed, covering her face. "I have to get dressed. Can you turn around, please?"

Sakura turned, shaking her head curiously. "So, why blood?"

"It was impulsive, on my part. If anything happened to us, I wanted people to know we were at least traveling together willingly and not because he kidnapped me, but he never wanted to wear any kind of jewelry, so I just...did that. That night, he did the same. I wasn't...serious about it, but he never takes it off."

"That's...different. I have a-"

"Mm..."

"Hina-"

"Don't turn around!" Hinata exclaimed, two notches below a shriek. "I just had to...pick something up from the fire."

"Are you okay?"

"Yyyyes..." Hinata hesitated for a few seconds, and it almost sounded like she laughed. "You were saying?"

"I've just been curious about how you and Sasuke got together."

She hesitated again. "Ah, ha, um... Why?"

"Why? It was just so sudden to hear that the both of left, and then it turns out you both were..._involved_. Everyone assumed he kidnapped you, and half of those people are sure you're dead."

Hinata gasped. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"No, no, I know. I meant..." She cleared her throat. "We suspected that would be the assumption."

"I don't understand why you both didn't just stay. You wouldn't have to hide like this, and Sasuke would at least have a bit more freedom."

"Sakura, you know he's not very patient." And it sounded like she was smiling. "We don't have a permanent place to live. It may have something to do with people looking for us, but I think he likes the uncertainty."

"And what about you?"

"I'm not used to it, but it is...fun. Or maybe it's more like... I feel like it's all a dream, so I'm not quite sure how to explain it."

"So...you really did leave to be with him."

She laughed again. "Crazy, I know."

"That's what I don't get. How did the two of you get to that point? What started it all?"

"Um... Nothing good... It wasn't anything good."

"What do you mean?"

"Honestly, I-"

"It doesn't matter."

Sakura turned, catching a glimpse of Hinata and Sasuke finishing with getting dressed before the dim light of the embers dwindled.

* * *

"Welcome home."

"Yeah."

Keita was taken aback as Sakura walked passed him, not bothering to look his way. "Is something wrong?"

"Tired."

"Oh... Uh, starting tomorrow I'll be working."

"That's great."

He frowned to himself. She's been detached lately, and he wasn't sure how to approach it.

Sakura walked straight to the bathroom to take a shower. With the hot water pouring down on her, she allowed a rather depressing mood to settle. She had healed as much of Sasuke as she could and left her backpack without explaining to them all she brought, and that entire encounter was what was wrong with her.

Interacting with a conscious Sasuke was what was wrong with her.

She had almost _obviously_ tried to keep all the talking with Hinata, but just being around the Uchiha brought up memories and emotions she had let go. She had no choice but to let go of everything concerning him—and she had felt relatively nothing when she learned Hinata was with him—but then he was _awake_ and _speaking_, and she felt exposed and confused and frustrated. The true reason behind finally giving up on Sasuke was because she would never see him again, so she never prepared for this. Maybe she _would_ have prepared for this, but then Keita...

Keita was...

Keita was one of the best things to ever happen to her. He didn't know the her who had been completely enamored with the Uchiha, and he didn't know the her who had been devastated when he left.

Keita knew the Sakura who was headstrong, resilient, and confident.

He saw her bad sides, but he wasn't intimidated. In fact, he embraced all of her that he did know, but...she didn't want him to know who she had been.

For one, Sasuke was her first love, and she bared her heart and soul to him time and time again, but he never accepted her. He never _wanted_ her. It hurt, and she never understood why she wasn't good enough. She was taught trying hard and showing true intentions would help a person prevail, but Sasuke... He just didn't want her. She loved him more than anyone—_ANYONE—_but he never accepted her...

Then there was Naruto, who knew all the sides of her she so desperately tried to convey to Sasuke. He saw her on her very worst, irrational, and impulsive days, but he had cared for her more than she had wanted to believe. She sometimes wished she could go back and at least appreciate all the times he still found reasons to be captivated by her, but even he lost the appeal he once saw. Naruto, probably the first boy to like her, if not love her, no longer saw someone he wanted to be with.

And, like Sasuke, he had fallen for...Hinata.

At first, she thought it was because Hinata was quiet, calm, and submissive—things she herself definitely was not. It didn't bother her because she didn't have to hide her physical, mental, or emotional strength just to keep a guy, but she also knew Hinata had those exact same traits as she did.

Physically, she could dominate over the Hyuuga, but Hinata was still strong; though she didn't win, fighting Pein proved it.

Mentally, Hinata had immense strength to persevere through her father's and Neji's abuse as a child—and with no one to come to her aid.

And emotionally... She loved Naruto despite him not knowing and watched him direct all his attention to someone else. Even with all that, she tried her best at everything she did.

But Sakura tried hard, too.

She didn't have a family with special abilities or a ninja background. When she was insecure, she only had one friend; the rest of her growth was her own determination. She tried her best, became stronger, and was able to fight along side two teammates with enhanced abilities.

Yet, Hinata was the one they wanted.

If it wasn't strength that was the issue, then...

Sakura got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself, and walked to the mirror, wiping the steam off. Looking at her features, she had to admit she wasn't plain looking; she liked to think the diamond on her forehead gave her a more exotic look. However, it wasn't facial features she thought were the issue because, whether or not it was a factor at all, neither of the boys looked at Hinata until after puberty hit.

She frowned, wiping the mirror once more and stepping back to remove her towel. Sakura had a lean, feminine physique.

Quite the nice body.

She brought her hands up, placing them on her chest. Her hands completely covered each breast, but...it's not like her hands were flat against her chest either; her boobs were definitely soft and squishy. She pouted, running her hands down her hips. She definitely _had_ hips, but they weren't _out there_.

She posed in the mirror, twisting her body every which way.

What did it matter what her body looked like? So what _some people_ could wear baggy clothes and still have their figure show through? She looked _good_. She didn't look like, say, Hinata for example, but she still looked good.

But maybe boys only cared about looks after all... Sasuke was tempted by someone with a well-defined body... And Naruto gave up his life long crush on her for someone with a well-defined body...

And Keita...was about to work with someone with a well-defined body.

Sakura frowned at her reflection, suddenly not feeling so confident. She shouldn't worry because Keita had been with her for years, but, if he was attracted to her personality, it wasn't like Ino was too drastically different from her in that respect. Ino also had a certain charm that boys adored...

And a...nice...body...

There was a knock at the door.

She paused, wondering if she wanted to answer. "Yes?"

"This...may be a bad time to ask, but is everything alright?"

"Mm... No, I actually need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"Come here."

Keita walked in, his eyes immediately flashing wide, brown eyes bulging. "I am so sorry!" he gushed turning away. "I-I thought you said to come in, and- I didn't mean to- Um! I'm sorry!"

"Keita," she huffed, turning his way, "you're too shy."

"Too shy?! You're naked!"

"I'm well aware. Let me ask you something." She walked over to him, turning him around. "It's been almost five years, and you're still with me."

He blinked repeatedly, his face completely red. "Y-yeah?"

"Why is that?"

"Why? You know wh-" He yelled, frustrated with his straying eyes, and removed his shirt to wrap around her. "Waiting until marriage was easy until tonight."

She smirked, crossing her arms. "We really don't have to wait. Besides, you can't say it's easy when we don't even sleep in the same bed."

"That's a big reason _why_ it was easy." He sighed, drained in almost every way. "Unless you're telling me you're ready to get married, can you please get dressed? My blood is rushing two different ways, and I think I'm going to pass out."

"I don't want to get married any time soon, but I do want you." She touched his face gingerly, appearing coy. "Marriage won't trap me, you know."

"You know it's not that." He looked away briefly. "I want to do right by you, really. I _know_ I can, but...I also want to do everything different than what he did to my mother." He smiled at her apologetically. "So, marriage first."

She sighed, giving a small smile of her own. The mindset of ninjas and civilians were a little different, considering life had different meaning for each.

Keita cleared his throat. "So...what was your question, again?"

"You said you fell for me because of my attitude. What about my looks?"

His eyes widened a fraction, confused. "Well, I meant I fell for you just because you're you. I told you before, kunoichi never interested me because they're kinda scary. You... You were scary, but I couldn't stay away."

She huffed. "I thought it was so you could get to know Kiba better."

"That was a perk." He kissed her forehead. "But maybe it was all just to find you."

She rolled her eyes despite her deep blush. "Yeah, okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**InuHime is my thing. I hope it can be yours, too. Anyway, here's more Naruto.**

**Enjoy!**

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He was sleeping, sprawled out on his bed, blankets in a disarray. His clothes were thrown carelessly to the ground in a trail leading to his bed, leaving him in just his star-patterned boxers.

Sakura sighed, staring through Naruto's window. It had been the third night in a row that she insisted Tsunade keep him busy with paperwork, but now she was feeling a bit guilty. She merely wanted him distracted, not work him to exhaustion. She was just so _close_ to fully healing Sasuke. The Uchiha still had trouble walking on his own, but she suspected that had more to do with him needing to use his muscles than anything being damaged. However, he was awake more often than not, and his restlessness led him to exert himself more than his body would allow, so, if he would just take it easy, he and Hinata could _leave _soon_._

And, maybe it wasn't her place to decide, but if they left before Naruto found out, it'd be better.

She pushed the thought aside. Naruto had named Shikamaru as his advisor, so today's agenda would be educating both of them on how to communicate their duties with each other in the office. That could easily take all day because the two had different views on most everything, so they had no choice but to be in each other's company until they could sync well.

With that comforting her mind, Sakura turned to leave but fell back, a yelp in her throat, when she found a person crouched directly behind her.

"Should I be alarmed that a skilled kunoichi is spying on the future Hokage?" Shikamaru drawled, scratching his inner ear. "It'd be a drag if you killed him before I could advise properly."

"Geez!" she exhaled, hand to her chest. "I just came to make sure he doesn't slack off before he goes in today."

"It'd be a lot less creepy if you claimed him as your boyfriend instead of that villager."

She frowned. "There is nothing wrong with Keita."

"No, but," Shikamaru pointed through the window, "he's gonna need someone to keep him in line. Even if it was me, I'd need a little help."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's safe to presume that _you_ came to get him then?"

"Actually, I came to tell him I can't make it today."

"Eh... What? _WHY_? Today is _really_ important."

Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head. "I get that, but this whole dual residency thing is a pain in the ass, so if I don't leave to register today, I'd have to wait eight more months. That's more troublesome than delaying this tedious process of 'Playhouse Hokage', so I'm just gonna get this out of the way."

"But-but-but isn't most of your time going to be spent in Konoha when Naruto becomes Hokage? And what's the point of applying for dual residency if you already have a place here, and she has-"

"I know, I know, it's a pain, but rules are rules." He yawned, looking towards the direction of the Main Gates for a minute before looking at her again. "Since you're peeping anyway, can you tell him we'll have to postpone?"

"Shikamaru, _please_!" Sakura's hands shot to his shoulders, shaking him. "You _cannot_ leave today! When Naruto takes charge, he'll pull some strings so you can have dual residency in no time! Think about it!"

Shikamaru allowed himself to be shaken, quite used to treatment like this. "Sorry. No can do."

* * *

**Hours Later**

Naruto had a very odd morning.

When he awoke, he freaked out because he was late for meeting Shikamaru at the Hokage Tower. He rushed to brush his teeth and get ready, but then he couldn't leave because his door was jammed. He yanked and pulled, but it wouldn't open. He then resorted to leaving through the window over his bed, but that was also stuck—and he could clearly see it was nailed shut from the outside. Still in a rush, he opted to worry about it later, but leaving through the kitchen window was futile because it was also nailed shut. He cursed, confused, and raced to his bathroom as to not rasengan his walls. Much to his relief, this window could open, but the last time he went through it had to be around the ages of twelve and thirteen, and since then he's gained both muscle and height.

He stared at the window, time ticking away.

* * *

"Admit it, Lady Tsunade." Shizune grinned. "You're impressed with him."

The Senju scoffed. "I'll admit Naruto has done exceptionally well, given that these procedures were dumped on him at the last minute."

"And it's quite impressive, isn't it?"

Tsunade slumped, leaning forward on her desk, one hand propping her head. "Fine, I'm impressed. A little proud, even. I always knew it'd be him someday, and now..." She shook herself. "Well, he deserves this day off." She laughed, puffing out air. "But he would have breezed through this, too."

"I'm here!" Naruto burst in the room, his clothes bunched up in places and long, thick scratches on his arms and legs. "I had a little trouble," he said, rolling down his sleeves and pant legs, "but I'm good now." He looked around the room. "Is Shikamaru not here yet?"

"Um..." Shizune started. "Shikamaru has left the village for a few days."

"He... Wha? I thought we had things to do."

"You did," Tsunade confirmed. "They've been canceled."

"Ca...? You mean...I didn't have to come in?"

"'Fraid not, kid."

He stood there, mind running through all it took to get here, and he let out a long, agonized groan as he proceeded to walk out of the room.

"It's going to be fun when he takes over," Shizune grinned.

"Yes, very fun."

* * *

If the goal of the day had been to wake up, he was definitely awake. Sluggish as he may be, Naruto couldn't force himself to go back home to climb through that window or pry off all the nails on everything else.

And he should wonder why there were nails at all...

He yawned, rubbing his neck, and allowed his feet to think for him. It didn't take long for him to wander out the gates and into the forest, but, not long after entering, he saw someone walking in front of him. He blinked, trying to see better. "Shino!"

The bug user stopped, hands pocketed, and turned to face him. "Naruto." He looked him over as he approached. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nah, Shikamaru is gone for a few days, so I guess I have time off. Oh, he's officially my advisor now."

"I expected as much."

Naruto paused, taking in their location. "Uh, so what are you doing?"

"I have a mission with Kiba."

"Is it...somewhere out this far?"

"No." He looked back the way he was walking, distracted. "Kiba went ahead of me, so I better catch up."

"What distracted you?"

"I thought... Well, it's nothing." He walked past Naruto to the main path. "My insects were a little disturbed. That's all. But," he turned back to him, "what brings you this far into the woods, Naruto? I've heard you're feeling like your old self and have been preoccupied with Hokage related affairs, so it strikes me as odd that you'd spend a day off wandering out here."

"It's not so strange. Everyone wants to talk to you when you get all important, so the places where I can clear my head are limited."

Shino stared at him, and it unnerved the blond that he couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Hm." Shino turned, walking on. "You've gotten better."

Naruto watched him, his heart hammering in his chest. That encounter put an unsettling feeling in his gut, but he also felt a tinge of guilt mixed with some second-hand sadness.

Team 8...

When was the last time anyone addressed them as such?

o0o0o

Naruto spent the next ten minutes wandering aimlessly, no destination in mind. He had to admit he was having...fun...doing the Hokage stuff. The work itself wasn't that entertaining, but he liked the change of environment. He kind of feared he'd have to become more serious and straight-laced when this process finally happened, but he could still act like himself. Everyone, even the oldest of the old geezers, expected him to be himself. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he hadn't been himself for a while now. Maybe they were just embracing it and basking in his wily presence because they missed it—missed him.

But he didn't want to think of it that way.

For a little while, he didn't want to have such an impact on people's lives. He used to try so hard, but now he didn't have to put forth much effort, which made him realize just how biased most people had been towards him. Most of the time it was surreal to believe he had managed to get through to people—to actually have a place in their hearts and minds—but sometimes he liked to not think of it.

When he walked past the stream closest to the cave, he decided to loop back. He must have taken the long way around because he didn't remember passing the cave on the way, and that was probably for the best. He hadn't seen Hinata in days, and he was back to not knowing how he felt about things like this. On one hand, he hadn't ached and pained over it. On the other, this free time could be taken two ways...

But he probably shouldn't visit her until he found out what was up with those nails. He spent the past few days without seeing her, so a few more hours wouldn't make a difference.

Or another day.

Because that would be the logical thing to do...

And he would do just that. He would go straight to his apartment and not stop to see her. He should, however, keep closer to the path that concealed him from travelers, which just so happened to lead right past the cave.

But he would only do that to avoid talking to anyone.

If Hinata happened to see him, then he'd have to tell her he had things to do. If she asked, he'd tell her what those things were. Naturally, that would lead him to tell her how strange the past few days have been—starting with the sudden Hokage workload. So then he would _have_ to add why that was an oddity, considering he never had to do anything this strenuous before, but he'd leave right after.

He couldn't stay. Definitely not.

With an elevated mood, he walked back leisurely. The cave wasn't in sight when he began to hear faint sounds that resembled talking. They were soft and whimsical, as if talking to one's own self.

"Are you lonely?" he muttered under his breath, convincing himself it was just a passing thought.

The sounds became a bit more clear, and soon he could see her. Hinata was outside, on the unsteady grass. She was on the ground, supporting herself with one arm as her other hand held her hair back, and she was looking down.

"It's a little strange," she said, a laugh mixed in. "This is..." her voice slowed, becoming enamored, "so strange."

Naruto wondered what she could have meant—or what could have happened to make her say that.

"I'm usually the one who makes you worry," she said.

"You still do."

Naruto stopped, his heart constricting at that fatigued voice he wish he didn't know so well. He looked lower, straining his eyes to see through the foliage, and he saw him.

Sasuke...

_Sasuke..._

He was lying on his back and Hinata was over him, her knees on either side of his body as though trapping him.

She laughed softly, keeping her voice low. "I've never done anything like this."

"You almost drowned."

"My ankle was sprained. I would have been fine."

"In the middle of a storm? No."

"I was fine until the storm came."

"You ran off."

"I was clearing my head."

"You were mad at me."

She opened her mouth, smiling, shaking her head. "We had a disagreement...aaaaand I wanted to think a little bit."

He huffed. "Right."

"Can you stand?"

"I thought you did this to prevent standing."

"You keep trying to walk. Just relax."

"I'm always relaxed."

She smiled, her eyes solely focused on him, pushing hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you're awake." She paused, her voice slightly above a whisper, "I love you."

Naruto blinked—unable to stop—and turned around, walking back the way he came. His heart was pounding, his body felt cold, and he wasn't really thinking. His feet were moving fast, not quite a run, and his mind was fogged, thick.

* * *

Sasuke looked at Hinata for a while, analyzing her. She just said she loved him, but she had looked pained—burdened even. "What's that about?"

Hinata shook her head, pressing her lips together. "It's just... Where are we going to go after this?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"We've been everywhere."

"Overseas."

Hinata was silent for a few seconds. She got from over him and sat at his side. "You really like to travel. Don't get me wrong, I like it, too, but... I want you to have a home."

"A home?" Sasuke was silent for a few seconds. "You want to start a family?"

"Well, in the future, yes, but I mean an actual home. I want you to have a place you can go that you can call your own."

"What's this about?"

"It's...this. It's being back here. I could probably walk through those gates, and, after all the questions and interrogations, I'd be back under my father's roof; Konoha would be my home again, and it'd be like I never left. But you... I want you to have that, too. I want you to have a place where you can always return and feel _comfortable_ and safe."

Sasuke stared at her a moment longer. "Are you leaving me?"

Hinata's eyes widened, face going pale. "No." She brought a hand to her chest, shaking her head. "You said that so easily." She looked at him, frowning. "Why would you even ask that?"

"You keep saying you want me to have a home, but where are you in this?"

"I'd be with you." She thought hard, rephrasing. "Sasuke, I'll _always_ be with you, but you're not comfortable anywhere. That's the point I'm getting at. When-" she paused. "_If_ we have children-"

"When."

"-then," she grinned, "it'd be good to already have a place rather than finding one while a child is on the way."

"Are you ready to settle down?"

"Well, I don't know if I-" She paused again, squinting her eyes. "Are _you_ ready?"

He smirked, rolling his eyes. "Are we gonna try another jutsu?"

"And risk this again?"

"Our children will only have you and me to learn from. There won't be any elders or relatives to help guide them."

"So you want to pass on something unique..." Hinata bit her lip. The appeal of creating their very own jutsu had been extremely tempting, then they aimed high and tried to form a forbidden technique. She didn't know why she thought it should have gone smoothly. It was still tempting, but...

It wasn't worth it.

And then something else hit her.

This was the first time they talked about building a home together.

And _children_ were already brought up.

Hinata's cheeks flushed. She looked into the cave. "Um...let's go inside. We've been out too long."

"Are you thinking about our kids?"

"Ah! Um, no, I-"

"Let's have three."

"Sasuke, please." Hinata buried her face in her hands, her face glowing.

* * *

"If I wasn't so pissed, I might actually be offended."

"I'd say you'd be one and the same."

"I'm serious." Ino had her arms crossed, standing in the hospital changing room as Sakura switched clothes. The medical kunoichi got into the habit of wearing hospital attire on her more prolonged shifts.

"Ino," Sakura sighed, clad in her underwear, giving the blonde a tired look. "I know, you're right. I should have kept in touch more."

"Damn right! You have absolutely no excuse when we live in the same village."

"And you?" She pulled out her normal clothes. "I don't exactly remember you knocking on my door."

"Sakura! I found out just a few months ago that you moved into your own apartment! You hardly keep in touch with anyone except Kiba, so I finally buckled down and asked _him_. But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is I see that boyfriend of yours before I ever got to see you."

"It's not like I didn't keep myself informed. I heard you were doing well-"

"I became a jonin. I substitute at the Academy, when they need me. I've been praised by Ibiki at my job in the Interrogation Force, but did I ever get any kind of congratulations from you these last three years?"

Sakura groaned, her mind whirling. "Ino, I'm _sorry_. I realize I messed up, but what do you want me to do about it now?"

Ino glared at her, eyes sharp and fierce. Her lips were puckered to one side—her attempt at not scowling. The Yamanaka didn't know why Sakura had been so distant. She would have let it all go if it hadn't been for Keita working at her shop. Seeing him made everything bubble over, and, before she knew it, she was storming through town and down hospital halls. Now that she actually saw Sakura, she was more than pleased to see that she had become more independent and successful than before, but that also brought along a tidal wave of regret and anger. She could have been by her friend's side, if the pinkette hadn't been such a recluse—a figure only the sick, injured, and Keita could see.

It would have been nice to celebrate their progress together...

And even worse, Sakura looked a little different from when she last saw her. Three years ago, she was uptight and all about work with an ever-loving boyfriend flanking her. Now, she was still all about work, and Keita was as enamored as when she last saw them together, but Sakura was more grounded and healthy looking. Her hair had grown a bit, her features had softened, and she no longer looked as though she carried a heavy burden.

It was only natural that she be upset.

Ino sighed, running a hand through her long bangs. "I just thought I'd stop by." She turned sharply. "Now that I did, I have no further business here."

Sakura straightened her clothing, watching the blonde prepare to storm out. She sighed. "Ino, wait."

The blonde stopped, looking over her shoulder.

"I really am sorry. The years... I wasn't myself."

Ino turned to her, hands on her hips. "What? Because of Naruto and Sasuke?" She sighed, shaking her head. "There's more to life than just your teammates. I love Choji and Shikamaru—I wouldn't trade them for anything—but I prepared myself for the day they found more than just the team to look forward to. And, sure, it kinda hurts that Shikamaru is mostly in Suna, and now there's this whole advisor deal coming into the mix, and Choji's finally found a girl who accepts him, so he's trying not to mess anything up, but, ya know what? It doesn't make us any less of a team. They'll always be there for me, and Naruto and Sasuke will always be there for you."

Sakura raised a brow, skeptical. "Uh-huh."

"You know what I mean! Naruto is a given, but, watch. Go out in the world and get lost or something, and I bet you Sasuke shows up like some hero and saves your ass."

Sakura laughed, putting her work clothes in a locker. "Right. In a perfect world, I guess that would happen, but I don't need all that. Sasuke... I'm sure he's fine doing whatever it is he's doing. Even Naruto is...ya know, bouncing back."

"Mhm." Ino paused, tilting her head. "So, I take it that we're okay then?"

Sakura shrugged, smiling. "I honestly didn't know we weren't okay."

"We weren't. So, we're going shopping to make things right."

Sakura's shoulder's drooped. "I'm not exactly the type."

"I know. That's why this is more for you." She pointed at her. "Your style has been pretty stagnant."

The pinkette's brow twitched. "The only guy I'd try to impress is Keita, and he doesn't have a problem with the way I dress."

"Ha! He _is_ a modest guy. I don't know if it's a civilian thing, but I'd kill to have a man like that—if he was a ninja, of course. I don't know how you put up with someone that _ordinary_."

"That's where some of his charm lies. But, hey, tomorrow we can talk all you want. For now, I want to check on one last patient and get home."

"If you're checking on a patient, why'd you change?"

"This one is pretty low maintenance."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Yes, I mind. This is a delicate matter, and it's best to not cause problems now."

Ino rolled her eyes. "So formal. You're at least gonna let me walk with you out the building."

"Fine, fine." Sakura led them out the room. "You're almost as stubborn as Naruto."

"Speaking of him, do you know what's up with him now? I stopped by his place because I wanted to see for myself that he was lively again, but his door is nailed shut."

"Ah... Hm... Who knows."

"Well, he could have at least yelled through the door or something."

Sakura looked at her, brows creased. "He didn't answer?"

* * *

**That Night**

Hinata and Sasuke enjoyed the darkness of the cave, listening to the night. They were on two layers of semi-thick blankets, and Sasuke's head rested on her lap. The Uchiha had recently taken more painkillers, so he was feeling oddly serene—slightly drugged. Hinata stared into the darkness, stroking Sasuke's hair.

"Sasuke," she said distractedly.

"Hm?"

"You were able to walk quite a bit today before you collapsed..."

"Mm."

"How much longer do you think it'll be before you feel well enough to leave?"

"Three days," he said, drowsy. "Maybe a week."

"I think... I think I'll tell him tomorrow."

Sasuke shifted. "No. Do it closer to when we leave."

She thought that over. "You think he'll come after us?"

"Who knows. No chances."

Hinata nodded to herself. By the way her heart was pounding, she thought that would be a good idea, too. They've come too far to be discovered, so they were better off if she didn't do anything at all.

But this was her last chance.

She looked toward the entrance, sensing a presence. "Saku-"

"Hinata, can you light a fire, please?"

"Ah... Okay." Hinata maneuvered herself from under Sasuke. Sakura sounded very urgent, and she didn't like what it could mean. "Is everything alright?"

"I can't- Is Sasuke awake?"

"He is."

"I see... And is... Well, is..."

Hinata waited, getting the fire started. Sakura was trying to ask her something, but she wondered if she didn't want Sasuke to hear about it. When the fire was lit, she looked at the other kunoichi. Sakura scanned the cave, looking over everything twice.

"He's not here..."

Hinata's heart dropped. She knew what this was about, and she forgot to tell Sasuke about it. She looked down at him, prompting him to look back at her. She looked at Sakura, and the kunoichi knew right away Hinata, in fact, did not tell Sasuke yet.

Hinata rubbed her hands on her thighs, anxious. "Sasuke, how well are those pills working?"

His eyebrows lowered, his eyes squinting by the slightest degree.

"Yo."

All eyes shot to the cave's entrance.

Naruto walked towards them, hands in his pockets. He glanced at Sakura, who almost averted her eyes. "I see why you nailed them."

"I wish you had taken the hint," she muttered.

He stopped near the dark-haired duo, looming over them. "You're awake."


	7. Chapter 7

**Since I couldn't update on MY birthday, this one goes out to all the August 8th birthdays! Happy Day of Days!**

**Enjoy!**

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Naruto's hands balled tighter and tighter in his pockets, nails digging into his palms to snap him out of this odd whirlwind of emotion. His brows were scrunched, more confused than angry.

This wasn't right.

He wasn't _feeling_ right.

Sasuke and Hinata were in front of him—_staring_ at him—_together._

They were both conscious and aware of him.

They both knew—all three of them knew—what had happened the last time they met, and how utterly wrong it was to leave and end things the way they did. And the most daunting, Naruto was witnessing a literal representation of Sasuke taking his place—his head lying on her lap as his own had done many times before—but he wasn't _feeling_ right.

He hated Sasuke for what he did. He hated how he himself had sacrificed a whole lot of his time, energy, and mental sanity striving so the Uchiha could have a normal life, only to have his own ruined in a way he never thought would be so terrifyingly difficult to recover from. He still hated all these things and more, and he had hated Hinata for all the same reasons...

But then he saw her.

And now Naruto was seeing him.

And despite all the rage, sadness, and confusion he had experienced throughout his entire life because of Sasuke, he was actually relieved he was here. After five years of traveling and doing who knows what in places even he hadn't see yet, Sasuke was back and breathing and—DAMN—Naruto was so sure his former teammate would actually get himself killed all because he couldn't stay in one place for long.

This was not how he wanted to feel.

He didn't want the sight of these two to make him happy anymore.

They couldn't just _do_ that to him!

"Naruto."

He swallowed, blinking as he struggled to see the two in front of him through blurred vision.

"Say something," Hinata said, calm yet hesitant. "Whatever you're thinking."

And he was strongly tempted to do so, the words nearly leaving his mouth instantly. He wasn't sure what would actually come out—the relief, the blame, or the indifference—but it was laughable to think he'd be able to talk to both of them together and expect him to be okay with it all. It was baffling she could give him looks of worry and encouragement while keeping a comforting, protecting hand on Sasuke. It was horrifying she actually believed he could say whatever he wanted, given that _both of them_ were the problem and the solution, yet they were looking at _him_ like he was the only one with all the unresolved issues!

And he just wasn't sure of anything.

"What is it with you, huh?" Naruto laughed half-heartedly, rubbing at his eyes and sitting in front of them. He locked gazes with the Uchiha. "Always runnin' from me. Always comin' back like you weren't."

"I never ran, and I never came back," Sasuke replied, struggling to sit up, much to the confusion and astonishment of the women. "I had things to do."

Naruto snorted. "All that was left to do was to actually live your life."

"I had to figure out what that meant."

Naruto laughed, short and humorless. "I guess you needed Hinata's help for that."

And there was silence—short and fragile.

Sasuke sighed, not sure what he was feeling. "I kinda did."

Naruto laughed again. "Yeah." But it hurt. "Yeah..." It hurt way too much. "I guess so... I..." He wiped at his eyes again but the tears were obvious. He stood quickly, trying to hide his face. "I gotta go."

Sakura stared after Naruto, stuck in place even after he left, and she tried to understand why her heart ached so much. After seeing him bounce back these last few days, it was extremely alarming to see him like that. Despite having an idea about what Hinata and Sasuke did, she was surprised Naruto could look and act like that while being in front of _them_. Sasuke was his best friend and managed to cheer him up even when they didn't see eye-to-eye. Hinata was the one he loved, and she had always managed to put him in better moods—especially when they were dating—even after all these years.

"I have to go," Sakura said, not sparing a glance at the two before leaving. Her mind was much more preoccupied on what to say. _Should_ she say anything? Should she try to distract him? Should she let him vent? Should she tell him everything was going to be okay?

Her nerves began to act up the more she thought about it, but she soon was able to see Naruto's retreating figure up ahead. His head was bowed, one arm across his face, and his movements were haphazard.

She exhaled silently, heart pounding, and cleared her throat. "Naruto?"

He gasped, quickly wiping his eyes before turning towards her. He waited for her to catch up, blinking and exhaling multiple times just for him to calm down.

"Naruto..." she began as she stopped in front of him, "I... I know it hurts, but..." She huffed, a little flustered, and gestured behind her. "I mean, they're right _there_. They're both there, and they're both _awake_, so you should... You should _talk _to them—about everything."

"We all know what happened."

"But what do _they_ know? They don't know how this all impacted you. They don't know how this all made you feel. Hinata came back and didn't explain herself at all, did she? Sasuke saw you and didn't even _try_ to make apologizing his first priority, did he? Are you really going to let them go on treating you like this?"

"Treating me like what?" He laughed, looking at anything but her. "They didn't have to acknowledge me at all, but, look, they did."

"Are you kidding? Naruto, your ex-girlfriend and your ex-best friend-"

"You don't understand!" Naruto thrust his hand in his hair, grabbing his bangs, and groaned as the tears started all over again. "I-it's not...just _them_. It's _me_ and it's _this_ and it's- I just- I _can't_ do this with them! I don't want to know why it happened, and I don't want to know why they left, and I _don't_ want to be reminded that they're leaving again because...because...!" He looked at her, face taken over with a fear and realization she didn't know he had. "They left me! They're not here for _me! _They didn't come back because they wanted to see me, and they're gonna leave again and I'll be _stuck here_ _again_!"

Sakura stared, at a complete loss for words. Naruto looked away again, and it was then she realized what the five years of pining had actually been about. It wasn't just about a romantic relationship, and it wasn't just about being betrayed. It was about being abandoned—about being alone. It was about being put back in that dark place in his life, and no amount of pranks, laughter, or nonchalance could make it go away.

Sakura's guilt engulfed her, but before she could do anything, Naruto was rushing off again, the tears coming with full force.

She should have chased after him.

* * *

He could see fine.

If his vision was blurred, that would mean he was doing a good job at keeping it all in, but Naruto's vision was relatively clear, and his face was wet.

He rubbed his eyes again, not wanting anyone on the nearly vacant street to see him this way, but he couldn't keep it together. It frustrated him that he had been rational about this situation for a while; he had been able to convince himself to be angry or motivated rather than sad, but now he could only feel pain. Everything in his torso hurt, and the only thing his mind could think to do was turn around to find comfort with _them_.

And it was driving him crazy!

It was because of them he had emotions like this to begin with, and it was because of them the feelings had all come back! Why couldn't his emotions _realize_ that? Why couldn't his emotions realize he no longer needed them, and there were more important things than to yearn for people who were just going to leave him _again_?

If they cared for him, they wouldn't have left.

If they cared for him, they wouldn't have hurt him.

If they cared for him, they would be the ones aching for _him_. They would apologize and wish to be in his good favor and regret they ever left him behind.

But...why didn't they?

Why _wouldn't_ they?

"What did I do?" Naruto crouched, hunched over, yanking on his hair as his heaving began to slip from his control. "What... What did I _do_?!"

"Naruto?"

The blond looked up, eyes adjusting to the moonlight. He was crouched between a bench and a trashcan, and Iruka was looking down at him highly rattled with a grocery bag in his hand.

"What in the-? That really you?" He stepped closer, leaning in. "Hey-" His eyes widened. "What's the matter?"

* * *

It was embarrassing.

Too embarrassing.

Naruto found himself strongly hoping a village-wide disaster would occur so he didn't have to face his sensei in this pitiful state, but there had been nothing of the sort to bail him out, and he was escorted back to Iruka's place. To add on to his embarrassment, Naruto had cried harder—almost sobbing—the whole way, and it was only after Iruka had gotten snacks and drinks out that he was finally able to calm down.

Still...

Naruto was bundled in a light blanket on Iruka's couch. The blond's cheeks were burning, and his eyes felt heavy. He glanced to the single armchair across from him, where Iruka sat and was eating a stuffed bun as he watched him worriedly. Naruto quickly looked away, drawing more into himself, and found himself hoping for another disaster.

A big one.

Maybe one even he couldn't overcome.

"So..." Naruto reluctantly sniffed, heightening his anguish, "it's been a while."

Iruka blinked. "Yes. With...your training as Hokage and my missions, we haven't properly spoken in some time."

Naruto looked up at him, frowning. "I meant since you saw me cry."

"Oh." Iruka laughed but quickly stopped. "Right, well, the nostalgia did hit me hard." He paused. "I imagine things have been stressful."

Naruto shrugged. "It's been...something." He glanced to the small table next to him where his snacks were left unattended. He reached for the bun and took a bite. "Wish I had better news for ya."

Iruka was silent for a moment, finishing his bun. "Ya know, I _am_ available whenever you need to talk, Naruto. You're never too old to rely on me."

Naruto hummed, unable to meet his gaze.

"I'm not sure what got to you tonight," Iruka went on, "but maybe you should talk about it. The life of a Hokage will be stressful, so it's best if you let out what's on your mind."

Naruto's shame made him feel very small. He wondered if Hokage related despair would have been more favorable than this. "You know about Hinata, right?"

"Ah..." Iruka looked to the side, rubbing his neck. "Hinata... Yes, her kidnapping was very big news. Entire nations were on the lookout for her."

"You know..." Naruto looked at him, frowning further, and looked away again. "You know...she wasn't kidnapped."

Iruka's eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"Sasuke... He didn't kidnap her. She left with him. She wanted to."

"Left with him? Are you saying they meant to come back but something happened?"

"No... I'm saying they left together. They left _to be_ together."

"But she was with _you_. Uh, that is, I suspected it was supposed to be a secret, but the two of you were da-"

"Sensei." Naruto looked at him, eyes dull. "She wanted to."

Iruka stared at him for a moment, stumped, but realization slowly crept up on him. "Oh... Oh, so... I mean, I had no idea. I never would have thought that the two of them would- Er, I-"

Naruto laughed, agitated hands messing with his hair. "_You're_ surprised? Imagine _my_ surprise. I mean, he was my best friend, and she was my girlfriend, but I never suspected a thing." His smile dampened. "And it's crazy, ya know? T-to look back on it and have things finally make sense—like why she...why she started _looking_ at me different. Why she looked s-so guilty and why being with everyone made her _so_ uncomfortable." He laughed again, rubbing his eyes. "But I didn't even know she had feelings for him until the two...th-the two were..." He leaned back, head falling on the sofa head. "Until I saw them leaving."

Iruka got up and carefully made his way over to him, patting his shoulder as he sat down. "It's okay," he said, noticing how Naruto was trying to hold it all in. "It's okay."

And within seconds, Naruto was crying again, not masking the pain or the sobs. He covered his face with the blankets, and Iruka could make out words that broke his own heart.

_I don't understand._

_I tried._

_I loved her._

Iruka found his own eyes stinging. He used to have all sorts of solutions he would one day convey to the blond when he experienced his first heartache, but he had no idea the situation would have turned out like this.

Hinata and Sasuke ran off together?

Hinata wanted to be with _Sasuke_?

Naruto had known this for years and suffered through it on his own? Iruka found everything about this situation hard to take in, but he supposed it wasn't his place to understand.

Minutes passed before Naruto had calmed down enough where his sobs were the occasional hiccups, and Iruka debated on what he should say next. He wondered if he should be saying this at all.

"You know, Naruto... It's not exactly the same thing, but I remember my own emotions when you were assigned to Kakashi's team. I was a little afraid, if I had to be honest, and I wasn't sure if you would be treated right." He laughed. "Despite my reservations, you did well, and then Master Jiraya eventually came and took you under his wing. As happy as I was for you, I had to admit I was a bit jealous."

"Jealous?" Naruto mumbled. "Of what?"

"Well, I was used to being the only one who saw the good in you. The more others saw what I saw, the further you got away from me, but I always knew where we stood. Letting you go and grow in ways I couldn't be part of was hard, but I never felt like it was the end of what we had. If I was unsure about our bond, I'd imagine I'd have felt similar to what you're feeling now."

"Sensei... I don't see how the two are similar at all."

"My point is, you need to find her."

Naruto didn't say anything for a few moments. He wiped his face, turning tired, red eyes in his direction. "What?" he croaked.

"You should find her," Iruka repeated. "There's a lot you need to say, and you're not going to move on until she knows it."

Naruto stared at him longer, brows slowly knitting. "Iruka-sensei... I doubt she cares about what I have to say about us."

"That's not the point, is it? The point is you need closure, and the only way you're gonna move on is if you go out there and find her. Sasuke, too. It's been five years, so they may not even be traveling together anymore, but, if you're not over what happened by now, trying to handle this _and_ running a village is just going to burn you out."

Naruto sat up straighter. "You think...? I mean, I can't just..._do_ that."

"Yes, you can. Maybe you shouldn't, but you're under the impression that this is your fault, right? You think she left because it's something you did or didn't do? It's not. Hinata made that decision, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can realize you did everything you could. That doesn't mean you're lacking in anything, and Hinata would tell you that."

"She didn't before she left."

"No, I imagine she wouldn't... Honestly, I imagine Hinata would have found it very difficult to leave you, but she wouldn't have done it out of spite. If she really did leave you for Sasuke, it wasn't an easy process at all."

Naruto huffed. "So I shouldn't blame her, is what you're saying."

"No, you can blame her. You can blame her for everything, if you want, but I am saying... There are things in life that cause us to hurt others, and when you hurt people you care for, it's not something a person wants to confront. There's no way to know the main reason she decided to risk everything and leave, but I bet you part of it is because she couldn't bear to see the damage she did to you. You need to _make_ her see that."

Naruto's eyes were slightly wide, his body feeling a dull buzz throughout him. "I... I mean, are you serious?"

Iruka shrugged. "I am, but even I have doubts about this. I guess the real question is...what would you be better off doing?"

* * *

By the time Sakura got home, she didn't feel right. She wanted to keep looking for Naruto, but he could be extremely difficult to find when he didn't want to be found.

When she walked through the door, Keita was standing there, holding a rice ball on a plate and a cup of steaming something. She raised a brow, slowly stepping out of her shoes.

"Don't," he said, a slight sigh following. "You're going back out, but you should eat something. I don't think you took a lunch today."

She stared at him for a moment, one shoe halfway off. "I had a hospital lunch."

"Those ration pills?"

"They get the job done." She shook her head. "And _why_ do you think I'm going back out?"

"Because I think you owe Naruto an apology."

"An a...? Wait, was he here?"

"Yes. He came over to borrow a hammer because _somehow_ his door and windows were nailed shut."

"Ah... A-and you think I did that?"

He stepped forward, raising the rice ball to her lips. "I know you did. I don't know exactly why, but I'm familiar with your odd ways of getting what you want."

"But I-"

He pressed the rice ball closer, causing her to bite down. "Sakura, I worry about you. From your job to your status to your friendships. You can handle two out of three really well, but you're still getting used to all of them."

"You're trying to make a point here," she said, taking the rice ball from him. "And, trust me, I get it. I haven't had my mind right lately."

He nodded, his gaze becoming a bit concerned. "Why did you nail his door shut?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "My mind. I'll get it back." She turned out the door, stepping back into her shoe and finishing her snack. "I'll apologize."

"Ah, drink up please," he said, offering the cup.

* * *

Naruto sat in front of his door, jacket flung over his shoulder, and focused on taking out the last few nails. His door frame looked pretty messed up now, but even if it posed a problem for closing or locking properly, he could have it fixed in a few days. Besides, there weren't many people around who would dare break into his home.

When he was finished, he gathered the abundance of nails and stood, wiping his brow. He looked down the hall, hearing footsteps approaching, and saw Sakura stepping onto his floor.

"I'm impressed," he said, turning to face her. "All these nails and I didn't hear a thing."

She shrugged, making her way over to him. "When you've been trained by Tsunade, you don't really need things like hammers." She stopped in front of him, frowning a bit. "I'll...pay to get this all fixed."

He shook his head. "I have money to spend, anyway. Besides, most of my time is gonna be in the Hokage office soon enough."

She tried to smile at that. "I'm really sorry for...these past few years. These last few days, too. I left you alone thinking you could deal with all this, and now I'm acting like you can't deal with anything."

"Yeah, well... Ya know. You were right about some things."

She cocked a brow. "Which things?"

"I should talk to her. I should talk to both of them, but I really need...to talk to her." He huffed, ruffling his hair. "You guys think this'll help me get over her, but I have no idea what it'll do." He rubbed his chin, looking over the railing. "I mean, I wouldn't exactly say I'm holding on to anything, but, ya know, I'll admit I still feel things." He looked at her. "Not tryin' to drag you into this, but you still feel things, right? For Sasuke?"

Sakura's breath caught for a second, her heart nearly bursting from the shock. "Well... That it is to say..." She looked to the side, thinking intensely. "Seeing him again was kind of...confusing for me, emotionally speaking. Everything I used to feel suddenly came back, and I remembered how in love with him I thought I was. I _was _in love with him... I just...felt so much for him, and maybe I'll never forget that, but," she looked at him, seeing if any of it made sense, "I have Keita now. When I think about how I could have easily missed out on getting to know _him_, it makes me a little afraid how much old feelings could impact me."

Hesitance was prevalent on Naruto's face. He scratched his cheek, face twisting as he tried to process that. "Sounds like...you lucked out then."

"Things like that can happen. To _anyone_."

"I don't know about anyone."

"_Anyone_."

"Yeah, but... I don't think I-"

"Yes, you can. It's really up to if you want to or not. If I didn't decide that I wanted to move on from Sasuke, then, believe me, I wouldn't have. What would have been the point of that, though? It got to a point where not being at a certain level of sadness over him made me feel guilty—like my feelings for him were somehow invalid because I wasn't devastated—but do you know how tiring it is to keep yourself that sad for so long? It's _exhausting._ There's only one Sasuke, and there's only one Hinata, but they aren't the only people who can make us happy. As hard as it is to believe, there are people who could make us...happier."

Naruto bit his lip, doubtful. "Uh...huh. Would have been more uplifting if _this_ side of you was there a while ago."

"Ah... Yeah, well, sorry again."

Naruto sighed heavily. "Yeah... Yeah. Kinda hard to picture this luck happening for me."

She snorted. "Considering all the luck you've had, this isn't that huge, but that's more down the road, isn't it? What matters more is that you're going to talk them. Do you need me to go with you?"

"Ah... No." Naruto shook himself. "No. I'm going to do it tomorrow. I think I'm gonna need to be well rested for this."

Sakura nodded. "And then what?"

"And then...we'll see what happens."

* * *

Maybe it was all a sign.

Maybe they already over-stayed their welcome—not like they were welcome anymore.

Hinata and Sasuke sat near the cave's entrance. Sasuke was leaned against Hinata, stubborn to give in to the drowsiness or the pills or the fatigue. Even if he wasn't fighting it, Hinata wasn't in a jovial mood; she had a lot on her mind.

"You didn't tell me about him," he murmured.

"Mm." She shifted a bit. "I mostly forgot, but I know how you are. You wouldn't have rested easy."

"Mm."

"We can't have...both of us getting emotional."

"Not emotional," he said. "But..."

"The guilt... I know." Neither of them could push it away forever. "Sasuke," she said, staring at the filtered light of the moon, "I think...I'm ready."

He wanted to nod, but he couldn't force out that much. "You're going to talk to him?" he asked, his low voice sounding oddly soft to his ears.

"Yes."

"I see." He paused. "Right now?"

She shook her head. "Tomorrow." Hinata shifted so she could look at him. "And you? Are you going to talk to him?"

"Aa," Sasuke said, tired. "Tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

**Uh-oh. School has started, and fanfics are appealing all over again! But in all seriousness, sorry for the wait. I hear your cries.**

**Enjoy!  
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It was the calm before the storm.

That's how Naruto would describe the few seconds after he had woken up.

His eyes had barely opened, but his body and mind were highly refreshed. The light blue tinge of an infantile morning shone through his window, and he sighed contently, eyes trained on his door, when loud, erratic knocking disrupted the silence. He jolted in place, eyes snapping wide, and watched the mangled wood rattle.

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"

He shot out of bed, rushing to the door and yanking it out of the frame. Sakura stood on the other side, her pounding fist hitting his shoulder until she realized he had opened it. Her emerald eyes were ablaze with fear he didn't understand, and her face was pale, hair out of place. He blinked multiple times, trying to wake up further and make sense of the situation.

"There was a fire in their cave," she said, voice small and shaken. "I don't know if they're okay."

"Thei- Sasuke and Hinata?" Naruto's mouth opened and closed, his mind not able to process properly. "What are..." He took a step out the door, but Sakura stopped him. "What fire?"

"Tsunade received a message. There was heavy smoke coming from the forest." Sakura shook her head, trying to form her rushed words. "It was already out of control when they got there."

Naruto tried to let the words hit him, but he couldn't accept them for what they were. The urgency and alarm refused to come to terms with what Sakura had told him, and he could only stare at her, at the morning hue over the village, at how peaceful and quiet everything was.

"I don't understand," he said, attempting to walk out the door again.

Sakura tried to push him back. "Naruto, hold on."

He walked on, forcing his way past her without trying to. "I don't understand," he said again, walking toward the stairs. "Why did you come here?"

Sakura followed him. "I didn't know what else to do. Everyone was putting out the fire, and I had-"

"What _fire_? How did a fire start?"

"We don't know yet. Maybe they forgot to put it out, or Sasuke-"

"Sasuke _knows_ how to deal with fire."

"Naruto, slow down."

"Sasuke wouldn't let a fire get out of control."

"Naruto-"

"Hinata can put out a fire."

"Naruto!"

"They know how to deal with fire, Sakura!" Even as he said the words, he was aware that he was sprinting through the village. The air was cool on his skin, and the dirt and rocks beneath his feet scarred his soles. Running through the gates, the damp grass made him more alert, pushing him forward, and he began to see smoke lingering around the trees. The air became warmer and harder to breathe, but he pushed himself forward. He had to see for himself.

When he arrived at the cave, there was a small crowd gathered in front of it. Three ninjas were near the entrance performing water jutsus on a flame he couldn't see. The air was hot and humid, and billows of smoke were coming from the cave mouth. He stared for a moment, heart pounding from exertion and confusion. He wasn't convinced something terrible had happened, but he also couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Walking closer, he saw Tsunade standing a distance from the entrance and observing, arms crossed.

"Hey, Granny."

She looked over her shoulder, annoyance etched on her face, but it softened a little upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?" She looked him over. "And in such a rush."

"Sakura said...something about a fire?"

She sighed, shrugging. "Yeah, turns out there was. No idea who caused it, but fires don't just start in caves—even more unlikely that they get out of control to this degree. The only questions are 'Why?' and 'Is anyone still in there?', and I'm not too eager to find the answer to either."

Naruto stared at the efforts to take control of the situation. Even knowing what the worst outcome entailed, he couldn't force himself to feel any type of emotion.

o0o0o

The next ten minutes passed in a sort of limbo.

Sakura had caught up and stood by Naruto as he watched ninjas work to cool down the cave. The smoke had gotten thicker, causing few people to venture off to fresher air, but Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade were among the others who stayed. When it was safe, the three of them plus two others ventured inside. The air inside was even more suffocating, and the rock was rather scorching on Naruto's feet. It was dark despite the few light sources that had been brought in, but there was...nothing.

They looked around, openly frowning, but they soon reached the back and had nothing to show for it.

"Well," Tsunade huffed upon exiting, "someone has severely wasted our time."

"The only question is why," one of the other ninja said. "There is no possible way a fire spontaneously originated from inside, so what was the point of starting it?"

"A prank? Covering tracks?" Tsunade shrugged, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Robbing me of my sleep, that's for sure." She groaned, checking to see if everyone had returned. "Alright, this will probably be quick. Scan the surrounding areas and the village to make sure nothing sketchy is going on. If you do find someone, just lock them up until I've had a decent rest."

Naruto watched as everyone went their separate ways, some more eager than others, but he stayed where he was. His mind was churning impossibly slow. He looked back into the cave, feeling the heat emitting from it gradually being overpowered by the morning air. He walked towards the entrance and looked inside once more.

There should be something here.

If not an item of theirs or something they used, there should be a _trace_ of them somewhere. Their chakra, their energy, their _something_ should be here, but...he couldn't find anything. It was like they weren't here at all, but they had been—Sakura could attest to that.

He became aware when Sakura walked to his side, staring silently into the cave just as he was. He sighed to himself, rubbing the back of his head. He was a little tired and definitely felt light-headed due to all the chaos, but that was it. Even after his emotions had been in utter torture last night, it was like they were all flushed out of him. He didn't feel-

"Sad?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, whose gaze was still drawn into the cave. "No." He paused. "I don't think so."

"Are you worried?"

"I don't know."

She looked at him. "You don't know?"

He shrugged, glancing at the cave then turning away, ruffling his hair. "I don't really understand what happened."

"Naruto," Sakura began hesitantly, "you know this probably means they're gone...don't you?"

"No."

"Naruto-"

"I don't think that." He paused before gesturing for her to walk with him. "They wouldn't... Well, maybe they would, but I just don't think they're gone."

Sakura huffed, distressed. Then again... Maybe he had a point.

Sasuke had left the village twice, and he did it in the dead of night with what he needed. If it hadn't been for her seeing him the first time and Naruto seeing him the second, who knows how much time would have passed before anyone knew he was missing. Even Hinata had left quietly, and if she hadn't hailed from a prestigious clan, an ample amount of time could have passed before she was noticed as well.

So, why did they do something so drastic if they were really gone? If it was a distraction, then the only people they would try to distract would be her and Naruto. Even then, they could have left last night and even she and Naruto wouldn't have noticed, but the fire was started this morning. What had been the purpose of all of this? Where _did_ they go?

Naruto and Sakura came upon the stream that Hinata had been drawn to. No other ninjas were looking here, and there were still no signs of Sasuke or Hinata. Still, they looked around for a while before heading back. Naruto yawned frequently and shook his head to stay focused, but it didn't appear as though any of this was getting to him. That concerned Sakura. If she's learned anything from the hospital, delayed reactions were often signs of a serious problem.

"Why don't you rest at my place for a bit?" she offered.

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I can make it back."

"Your door is a wreck. Besides, Keita might cook something."

Naruto weighed his options. He didn't have a problem with his ruined door. On the other hand, Keita did cook a pretty good lunch the last time he was there.

He shook his head, giving a convincing smile. "Really, I'm fine. I need some time to myself."

Sakura clenched her jaw, feeling defiant. She didn't like the new dynamics between them. Maybe she shouldn't let a third person determine the dynamics between them, especially when having no third person meant there were no dynamics. When Sasuke was here, she and Naruto were like foils to the Uchiha's character, and when Sai was around, it caused a reason for her and Naruto to bond more—or at least caused her to be willing to bond. But Sasuke was unreliable—forever coming and going as he pleased—and she hated to admit she hadn't seen much of Sai these past few years despite knowing how to get in touch with him.

She sighed, pushing away the dread.

As they came upon Sakura's apartment, they saw Keita outside putting away the trash. Sakura called out to him, earning his attention.

"Hey," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"What are you doing up?"

Keita yawned, waiting for them to catch up. "I couldn't go back to sleep after you left. You didn't tell me what was going on, so I stayed up."

"Oh... Sorry. There was a fire, so I had to check that out."

He chuckled. "Pyromaniac," he muttered. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little bit of nonsense."

"The ninja life sounds _so_ interesting," he said dryly, smirking at her. He looked at Naruto. "Mm. Your friends dropped by."

Naruto stared at him, wondering if he was really talking to him. "What friends?"

"Your friends. They both..." Keita frowned, blinking as his confusion sobered him up. "I actually...don't remember if it was more than one."

"What _do_ you remember?" Naruto asked.

Keita was bewildered, his frown becoming more and more obvious as he tried to recall what happened. "I honestly don't remember," he admitted. "I felt like I knew someone's face so well until I said something."

"Why did someone come here?" Sakura asked. "They were looking for Naruto but came here?"

"Yeah, they said... Uh... Huh." He scrunched a brow at the ground, trying to think. "Maybe I was too tired to take notice... Or something."

Sakura laughed briefly. "Okay. Do you remember _why_ someone was looking for him?"

"Right." He looked to Naruto again. "Whoever it was, they left cookies for you."

Naruto's brows knitted abruptly. "What kind?"

"Smelled like chocolate."

"Chip?"

Keita shook his head. "No. Like...chocolate cookies. All chocolate. Just chocolate."

"Chocolate cookies?" Sakura scrunched her nose. "Do you even-" She paused, her attention turned to Naruto, who was staring at the ground with his jaw clenched tight. "Hey."

He looked at her, blue eyes chaotic with emotion.

* * *

Naruto didn't try to explain any further because he knew Keita would remain outside as long as Sakura was, and he didn't feel like entering their apartment to change that. Instead, he decided to go home and...wait. Maybe for a sign.

He glanced at the paper bag in his hand.

Maybe that _was_ the sign, but he didn't understand it. Was it a heads up? Was it a goodbye? Was it clue? There wasn't a note of any kind inside, so there was no possible way he could know what the meaning of this was.

Unless he was just clouding himself to the truth...

But they wouldn't leave behind such a cryptic message before disappearing. Leaving without a word was better than being cryptic because that meant they weren't playing needless mind games with him.

Naruto arrived on his floor of the apartment building, but he saw construction men working on his door. As he walked closer, he saw a new frame had been put on, and they were now in the process of putting on the new door.

"Uh...hey," he said.

They both looked at him. The one installing the door glanced at him briefly before going back to work. The one standing and overlooking his partner met his gaze, giving a friendly wave.

"Good morning," the standing one said. "We're almost done."

"Yeah, but..." He looked at the scraps of wood behind the man before meeting his gaze again. "Who called you guys here?"

"Our boss. We just go to where they assign us."

"Yeah...but how did-" He paused, his brows drooping. "Eh... If a Sakura Haruno called you guys to do this, then don't charge her. I'll pay you guys so-"

"Just let us work," the one on the ground muttered.

Naruto looked at him, his irritation oddly flaring. Perhaps the blond was used to the Hokage-hero treatment, but it certainly had been a while since someone blatantly did anything to express annoyance towards him. It was a bit refreshing...but still irritating all the same.

"We're almost done," the first man said again. "You'll have the same lock, so don't worry about it. This is all on the house, anyway."

"Wha-? Really?" His gaze shifted between both of them. "But you make a living off of this, right?"

The man smiled, shaking his head like Naruto was a lost cause. "Consider this a special offer, Mr. Hokage."

Naruto was caught off guard. His stomach flipped in odd ways, and he had to smile away an odd rush of heat swarming his face. He laughed, scratching his cheek and looking away. "It's future Hokage. Grandma Tsunade is still in charge for a while, so..."

The man shrugged. "Then we'll just say you owe us a favor."

"Y-yeah. Okay."

The man on the ground grunted, looking over his shoulder. "Hey, _Hokage_, you're distracting." He stood, stepping away from the door. "You're trying to get inside, right?"

Naruto stumbled his way in, feeling flustered. The door closed behind him, and he heard the work resume. He stared at the door for a while before setting his bag of cookies on his dresser and plopping down on his bed.

For a moment longer, he listened to the mild noise of repair and decided he needed to sleep for a few more hours.

* * *

When Naruto awoke again, it was dark.

He looked around, trying to determine what time it was, and was baffled to realize he had slept all day. He groaned, stretching and rubbing his eyes. He got out of bed and turned on his light. His door was completely fixed, and he no longer heard noise. He hummed to himself, looking around for a moment, before heading to the bathroom to wash his face.

He had a problem now, because he was awake, and he didn't have anything to do unless he wanted to see if Sakura and Keita had eaten anything yet. The only plan he had for today was to talk to Hinata and Sasuke, and... Well...

He was waiting.

And he was exhausted.

It hadn't been long since their return, and he's gone through far too many emotions. Heck, he went through so many emotions with them separately, and the combined result was maddening and a strain on his mind.

But no matter how tired he felt by them, he wasn't tired _of_ them. He didn't know why he was willing to delude himself, but he wanted them to stay. He wanted to talk to them about what happened and get all his emotions out and pull answers out of them if he had to, but after it was all over, he wanted them to remain in the village and live a normal life as Leaf shinobi again. Life on the run had to be dull for Sasuke and no way was it the life for Hinata. They should just come back home and live...

What?

Together?

Even if they decided to stay, did he honestly believe things would go back to normal? Hinata and Sasuke would still be together, and the two would go on building a life right in front of him. They'd buy their own home, they'd get married, they'd have children...and Naruto would be...okay with that? He'd be okay seeing Hinata love someone else—a role he never thought someone could ever replace? He'd see Sasuke finally living a comfortable life, sure, but where would that leave _him_?

Naruto began to seriously wonder what he wanted out of them. Maybe he was deluding himself again. Maybe he thought of Sasuke and Hinata as a package deal now, and maybe he was forcing himself to accept both of them when he only wanted one of them.

He shook his head, scowling hard. He looked at the paper bag sitting on his dresser and rolled his eyes, feeling immensely neutral.

Things would become clearer once he talked to them.

o0o0o

When Naruto finished with his shower and had gotten dressed, he decided a walk around the village wouldn't be bad. He first walked into the kitchen, towel draped around his neck, and decided he should eat something. Looking in his refrigerator and cabinets, he also decided he didn't want to cook or re-heat anything, and the cookies on his dresser wouldn't be such a terrible food source. He ate instant ramen for weeks and months on end growing up, so cookies for dinner wouldn't be the worst option for his diet.

No one could tell him otherwise, anyway.

He walked back to his room and halted. His front door closed with a distinct _click_, and two pairs of eyes turned to him.

Sasuke and Hinata were silent, almost as if _he_ had caught them off guard. Naruto stared at them, hands gripping either side of his towel, body relaxed, but he didn't know what to say. It wasn't shock or surges of emotion that kept him silent, but he recalled this morning—the fire and cookies—and how they all ended up at this point.

To put it simply, he was confused, and his silence was brought on by the theatrics the dark-haired adults put themselves through just to turn up here.

"We knocked," Hinata explained. "A few times."

"Huh," Naruto said.

"Were you in the middle of something?" she asked. "We can come back later."

Naruto nodded, biting his lip briefly. "Stop."

And somehow, they both did. Whatever nonchalant mood they brought with them and were trying to instill in him evaporated; tangible awkwardness and affirmation settled in its place. The two stood at each other's side, equally unified and separate at the same time. They were dressed similarly, both their sleeves torn off for reasons unknown, but Sasuke still had some material covering his shoulders. As far as their expressions went, Hinata was more stoic than she had been since she first arrived. Her emotions were well hidden, and the affirmation seemed to be coming from her.

Sasuke's stern gaze hadn't changed, but his brows were knitted by the slightest of degrees. One hand was pocketed, and his fingers frequently pressed against each other on his visible hand. If Naruto had focused a little harder, he would have also noticed Sasuke's head wasn't held as high as it used to be, but he knew well enough it was Sasuke who put the awkwardness in the mood.

He just didn't think anything of it.

"Why'd you set the fire?" Naruto asked.

Hinata's lips curved slightly. "Just being careful."

"You made Sakura's boyfriend forget he talked to you."

Hinata glanced at Sasuke. "We didn't expect her to leave."

"So you're leaving soon."

"Yes." She nodded. "Very soon."

Naruto bit his lip again, frowning to the side.

"But...we need a place to sleep tonight."

His eyes snapped back to her, looking them both over again with new confusion. "You want to stay here?" He looked around the room, one hand running through his hair. "Why?"

"You promised us a favor."

Naruto made to respond, but her words clicked with him incredibly hard. He became flustered again, mainly because he was tricked, and thought of a different question. "Where?"

"Here." She gestured around the room. "Or there." She pointed to the door he came out of.

Naruto looked behind him, eyes wide. "The hallway?"

She shared a look with Sasuke. "We thought about staying with Sakura, but she has...a liability now."

Naruto was taken aback, his head beginning to spin. "I mean, yeah, you can...stay. Uh..." He stared a second longer at Sasuke before looking around with a scrutinizing gaze. "I only have one futon, so I guess I'll-"

"What?"

Naruto jolted, surprised by the unified accusation in the tone of both Sasuke and Hinata. The dark-haired duo looked at each other, and Naruto found himself caught in between a battle he didn't know had started.

"You're getting the futon," Hinata said. "You're still recovering."

"I'm fine," Sasuke dismissed.

"You've been sleeping on the ground."

"I've been sleeping on a blanket. _You've _been sleeping on the ground."

"I'm not letting you sleep on the floor, Sasuke."

"You're not going to stop me."

Naruto cleared his throat, raising his hand awkwardly. "Uh... You two can take the bed. I'll sleep on the-"

The two turned to him, their ocular abilities activated. "You're not sleeping on the ground."

Naruto shrunk into himself, afraid to say any more on the matter.

Fear... That was new.

* * *

In the end, Naruto to Sakura's to borrow an extra futon. She didn't ask why he needed it. She actually seemed preoccupied with..._personal _things.

He gave the moon a thumbs up.

When he returned home, his room was empty, but the smell of food greeted him. He opened the door leading to the hallway and saw his futon was already laid out. He placed Sakura's on top and walked into the kitchen, where Hinata was placing kitchenware about the place and Sasuke was sampling bits and pieces as he watched her. They both looked at him upon his arrival.

"You cooked?" Naruto said.

"Yes," she huffed, looking around satisfied. "I hope you don't mind."

"It's...fine."

"You should try what Sasuke made." She smiled at the dark-haired man, touching his shoulder lightly. "I have to go."

Sasuke nodded. "Not too long."

Hinata nodded at both of them before leaving through the kitchen window.

Naruto watched, words stuck in his mouth, but couldn't voice the things he wanted to. When she was gone, Naruto's energy steadily dropped, and he didn't know what to do at that point. He looked at Sasuke, who was leaned against the counter and staring down at whatever he was leisurely eating. Naruto didn't know what to say. Sasuke was still emitting weird vibes into the air, and he didn't know if he wanted to engage in it. Without saying a word, he went back to his room and closed the door behind him before laying on his bed. He alternated between staring out his window and staring at his ceiling.

In truth, he was hungry, but he didn't know how he was supposed to approach being in Sasuke's presence again.

o0o0o

Naruto was in the middle of reading a magazine when the door to the hallway opened. Sasuke walked in, his troubled brow betraying his inner thoughts, and he looked at the blond. Naruto looked at him, not sure if he should put his magazine down, and waited for something to happen.

"We have things to talk about," Sasuke said.

"Do we?" Naruto set his magazine down. "Like what?"

"Don't—do that." Sasuke paused, looking away momentarily. "Just ask me."

Naruto stared for a while before sitting up. "What's up with you?"

Sasuke looked at him. "What?"

"Why're you acting so weird? You're making this all...weird."

Sasuke frowned, raising a brow. "Making all _what_ weird?"

Naruto huffed, exasperated, and waved his arms all around him. "All _this_! You being here! You're being so...so _weird!_ Cut it out!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this stunt you're pulling!" Naruto yelled. "It's hard to be mad at you when you don't act like yourself, so just drop it!"

Sasuke huffed, tilting his head. "So you're mad at me."

"YE-!" Naruto caught himself, lowering his voice a few notches. "I don't know what you're trying to do-"

"I'm not trying anything."

"-_but, _fine_._ You're with Hinata now, so let's just get _that_ outta the way."

Sasuke continued to frown at him, almost as if he didn't have a response, and looked away only to ruffle his hair. He walked to the end of Naruto's bed and sat faced away from him for a few moments before turning to him.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, face unreadable. "I'm with her now."

Naruto's emotions simmered, and his chest tightened at the mood shift. "And you knew she was with me."

There was a potent pause.

"I did," Sasuke said.

Naruto exhaled slowly. "I get...that it was her choice, too, but..._ You_ actually..." He sighed harshly. "You didn't tell me."

"It's not like it was planned." Sasuke paused again. "I didn't think anything would happen."

"So it built up for a while."

And he hesitated. "Yeah."

Naruto shook his head, staring at his wall. "And when you realized something was happening?"

"...It was too late. I couldn't..." Sasuke huffed, frustrated with himself. "I wanted her."

"She was with _me_."

"I always thought you'd end up with Sakura."

"And that made it _okay_?"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, struggling with his words, "I wasn't trying—to be with her. Things just—happened—and then kept happening." He looked away, frustrated, overwhelmed. "You wanted me to tell you something like _that_?"

"_Something_ would have been nice." Naruto puffed out air. "Sasuke... Look, I've had a lot of time to think about this. Even since you guys've been back, I've thought about this. I guess- Maybe I don't-" He groaned, getting off the bed and pacing the room. "I don't know, okay? I used to care about how long it went on and where it all started, but that was..._then_. That was back when things just came at me all at once. I don't know if I still want to know all that because it's not like that's gonna make me feel any better, and there's really _nothing_ either of you can do to make me feel _better_-"

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't know! _Maybe_ I want to know why it had to be such a secret! Maybe I want to know why you couldn't just tell me you started having feelings for her instead of going behind my back!" Naruto groaned again, thrusting his hands through his hair and becoming jittery on his feet. "I mean-! I thought-!" He yelled, whipping around as to not face him. "I just...want to understand why..." He shook his head. "With Hinata, I want to know why she didn't want to be with me and why she couldn't _talk to me_ about anything. With you, I want to know why...you keep leaving me behind."

Sasuke was silent, eyebrows raised slightly. The seconds passed, and the blond gradually sat on the ground, still faced away, and Sasuke felt the guilt of the years hit him all at once.

Again.

Wave after wave.

He didn't know how to express himself; he wasn't prepared for _this_.

Sasuke looked down for a moment before looking back up skeptically. "You aren't mad?"

Naruto's laugh was short and broken. "Of course I'm mad! I've had so many days where I've hated you, and I can't say it's completely gone now, but," his voice cracked, "I don't know what I have to do...or what I have to say for you to understand you're basically my brother. I want to hate you forever, but," he turned his head, wiping his eyes on his shirt, "I can't... Okay?"

And Naruto felt half out his mind. Out of all the times he articulated his emotions to the Uchiha, this truly felt like the first time he wasn't going to get through to him. Compared to all they've been through, something like this seemed the most trivial, but the emotions were hurting just as bad. He couldn't convince Sasuke of anything this time. There was no common understanding of experiences. The fact that Sasuke would never understand hurt him more than anything.

To the blond's surprise, he felt something press against his back. He looked over his shoulder; Sasuke sat behind him, his back against his.

"Sorry."

Naruto stared at him a moment, his eyes wide yet jaded, and he turned back around. "Yeah. Right."

"I knew you loved her," Sasuke said, voice low and dejected. "That's why I tried not to."

Naruto laughed again, wiping his eyes. "So you were in love with her?"

"I was beginning to be."

For some reason, this made Naruto's eyes sting painfully, his throat tight.

"She loved you," Sasuke said. "Still does."

Naruto froze, surprised.

"I..." Sasuke stopped, thinking over his words, and his shoulders slumped. "You could probably win her over. You always could."

Naruto almost turned around, but Sasuke spoke again, his voice quieter, his tone more subdued.

"But...don't." Sasuke exhaled slowly. "It's the last good thing I want you to do for me."

Naruto stared at the wall before raising his knees. He folded his arms over them and lowered his head. "Not fair," he whispered. "That's...not fair."

Sasuke listened to the repeated words, slowly becoming more and more resigned—more accepting of the offer. Again, the guilt hit him, but he couldn't force himself to take it back.

"Sorry..."

* * *

Time passed with an air of forced actions and genuine feelings.

Sasuke suggested they eat, so they did. Naruto asked a few more questions. Sasuke answered. The blond realized some questions didn't make the Uchiha hesitant, such as where they had gone, how they lived, or what it all had been like. Others actually made him remorseful or evasive, which was anything about his relationship and progress with Hinata. Naruto supposed he didn't want to know the full details about their life as a couple, but the Uchiha's discomfort amused him.

Schadenfreude, probably.

Sasuke noticed, which is why he never tried to end the conversation.

Atonement, most likely.

After a while, Naruto suggested Sasuke take a shower. He mused to himself how long it could have been since the Uchiha used an actual bathing facility, and Sasuke's ease of compliance made him think they were far and few in between. So, Naruto gave Sasuke a change of clothes, and let him use his bathroom.

Once alone, Naruto mulled over his encounter with his former teammate. He was far from feeling the closure he needed from him, but he was definitely a lot lighter. His mind felt lighter, anyway. There was the major talk he needed to have, and...

It was getting late.

Naruto looked at the clock and was alarmed that hours had passed since Hinata left. He continued to stare, wondering why Sasuke hadn't appeared bothered by the time, and tried to figure out what Hinata could possibly be doing.

The door to the apartment opened, blue eyes snapping to the entrance, and Hinata slid inside.

"You're back," he said, blinking to make sure.

She stood in place for a moment. Her head was bowed, and she had an arm wrapped around her middle. When she pushed herself forward, her steps were staggered. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He's...in the shower."

"Oh." Her voice was soft.

"Hey... We need to talk."

She exhaled shakily. "Okay."

He hesitated. "Are you okay? Where did you go?"

Hinata was in front of the door leading to the hallway, ready to open it, but she didn't move. Naruto watched her closely, and was all too alarmed when he saw her shoulders were trembling.

She turned to him, cheeks shiny with tears, eyes puffy and red. "I wanted to say goodbye," she said, her voice full of pain. "Maybe I shouldn't have."

Naruto walked to her cautiously, not sure what to do or what she was talking about. His instincts were telling him to comfort her in any way possible, but he also knew she needed medical attention. He reached for her shirt but hesitated.

"Let's...deal with this first," he said. "Show me what's wrong."

She hesitated, appearing as though she wanted to say something, but pain of different origins swept her, and she slowly lifted her shirt, exposing the large, fresh bruise on her side.

Naruto faltered. "What happened?" he asked, hushed and hurried. "What were you doing?"

She shook her head, holding back the urge to break down. "I'm sorry."

He reached for her again—hesitated again—and tentatively placed one hand on her shoulder. She shook more, tears gradually falling, and he gently pulled her into him. He hugged her as she began to cry, his grip around her shoulders tighter the more she allowed him to hold her, and it made him crumble. She was in pain in more than one way, and he had no idea what caused it. She kept apologizing to him, and he had no idea why.

Sasuke walked in the room then, pausing when he saw the two of them. Naruto met his gaze, and Sasuke scrutinized him before silently questioning the scene.

"She's hurt," Naruto said.

Sasuke frowned further before walking to his side. "What happened?"

Hinata looked at him, trying to halt her tears, and gently pulled out of Naruto's embrace. "We shouldn't have come back." She bowed her head, shaking it. "You were right. We shouldn't have come back."

Sasuke wrapped her arms around her, steadily more alarmed. "Hinata." He paused a beat. "Tell me what happened."


End file.
